KAMPALA - The government has dispatched a team of experts to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to investigate Charles "Abbey" Mwesigwa, a Ugandan national accused of masterminding a sex-trafficking network in Dubai, following a recent BBC exposé.
Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre, State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Esther Davina Anyakun, clarified that Mwesigwa is not among the individuals licensed to export migrant workers to the Middle East.
She noted that the young women featured in the BBC investigation do not appear in government records of authorized migrant workers, suggesting they may have 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," Minister Anyakun said.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
"I hope after UAE authorities and the Ugandan government have concluded investigations, the culprit, Abbey Mwesigwa, will be brought to book."
The minister added that many Ugandans travel to the UAE on short-term visit visas in search of jobs but often end up overstaying illegally or falling prey to unscrupulous agents.
"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.
Anyakun said it was "highly probable" that the women profiled in the BBC documentary were Ugandans trafficked by unregistered agents or irregularly externalized to Dubai.
Meanwhile, reports from the UAE indicate that Mwesigwa was detained by Dubai authorities for questioning and released on bail.
Reports say Mwesigwa then attempted to flee the country but the Dubai police was tipped of his online check-in and promptly picked him up again.
