By our reporter,
KAMPALA,
Ugandan government has sent a team of experts to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to investigate a national accused of running a sex-trafficking network in Dubai, following revelations in a recent BBC investigation.
Speaking in Kampala on Monday, State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations Esther Davina Anyakun confirmed that Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, named in the BBC report, is not among those licensed to recruit and export Ugandan workers to the Middle East.
She said the young women featured in the documentary were not listed in government records of authorised migrant workers, raising suspicion they had been trafficked.
“If what was reported in the story is true, it is regrettable that youthful Ugandans leave Uganda hoping for better opportunities and instead end up in horrible exploitative situations,” Anyakun told reporters.
She added: “I hope after UAE authorities and the Ugandan government have concluded investigations, the culprit, Abbey Mwesigwa, will be brought to book.”
The minister said many Ugandans travel to the UAE on short-term visit visas in search of jobs but often fall into irregular status or become vulnerable to traffickers.
“We suspect that the majority of those mentioned in the documentary fall in that category. Trafficking in persons is a multi-billion-dollar business globally and requires concerted efforts between countries to be controlled,” she explained.
Minister Anyakun said the BBC documentary profiling Ugandans trafficked by unregistered agents and irregularly externalized in Dubai was “highly probable”, but said efforts were in place to have the allegations investigated.
Meanwhile, reports from Dubai suggest Mwesigwa was detained by police for questioning and released on bail. Local media reported he later attempted to flee the country but was re-arrested after officers were tipped off about his online flight check-in.
