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The Ugandan government has launched an official investigation into the tragic deaths of two Ugandan women in Dubai, following the release of a BBC documentary that exposed a dark sex ring operating in the UAE's most luxurious neighbourhoods.
The documentary, which has since gone viral, shines a harsh light on Charles Mwesigwa, a Ugandan man running the network that exploited vulnerable women, many of whom had been promised legitimate jobs but ended up trapped in a brutal system of sex work.
Joel Ssenyonyi seeks answers
The probe was announced in Uganda’s Parliament, where the matter was raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, during a session on Tuesday, September 16.
Ssenyonyi told the house that the government's duty is to protect its citizens, both at home and abroad, and wondered why no action has been taken to protect such entrapped citizens in the Gulf.
“Many of our young people who go for these jobs in the Gulf come back in body bags. Others are crying out, saying that the government does not help them when they are entrapped, it does not even help with the repatriation of those who die there,” he said.
Government promises action
Responding to the call for action, Hon. David Bahati, the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry), assured Parliament that the government was already in motion.
He revealed that following the release of the documentary, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja had instructed the Minister of Labour to launch a full-scale investigation and report back to the cabinet in the coming days.
“The government is already in action in terms of investigating the matter and making sure that we prevent this from happening to other Ugandans,” said Bahati.
Dubai deaths
The documentary, a collaboration by the BBC, exposed Charles Mwesigwa, a former London bus driver, as the alleged ringleader of the Dubai sex trafficking network.
Mwesigwa brazenly confessed to the undercover reporter that he provides women for sex parties, with starting prices as high as $1,000.
The investigation also shed light on the brutal reality of these parties, where women are subjected to extreme and degrading fetishes, including the infamous "Dubai porta potty" acts.
Monic's family in rural Uganda say Monic always had the ambition to seek a better life /BBC
The report linked Mwesigwa to the deaths of Monic Karungi and Kayla Murungi, two Ugandan women who fell from high-rise apartments, with their deaths controversially ruled as suicides.
Monic's family continues to seek answers, and her remains were never repatriated, believed to be buried in the "Unknown" section of a Dubai cemetery.
In a final directive, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa demanded a detailed statement on the floor of Parliament next week.
He specifically requested information on whether the two deceased girls, Monic and Kayla, had been employed through government-licensed labour externalisation companies.