News
SHOCKING DETAILS: Interpol To Track Ugandan Accused of Running Dubai Sex Trafficking Ring
A BBC World Service investigation has exposed the dark underbelly of human trafficking and sex exploitation in Dubai, tracing the operations of a Ugandan man accused of luring vulnerable women from his home country into a web of coercion, abuse, and violence. The revelations have sparked outrage in Uganda, with the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs Balaam Barugahare, vowing to work with Interpol to secure the suspect’s arrest.
A Web of Exploitation in Dubai
At the centre of the investigation is Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, who claims to be a former London bus driver. The BBC tracked him to Jumeirah Village Circle, an upscale Dubai neighbourhood, after piecing together fragments of his online presence and testimonies from survivors.
According to multiple women, Mwesigwa deceived Ugandans with promises of legitimate jobs in supermarkets and hotels. Instead, they found themselves trapped in a cycle of forced sex work, mounting debts, and physical intimidation.
Mr Mwesigwa showed the BBC his UK driving licence and said he was a former London bus driver
Mia, one survivor interviewed by the BBC, recalled being told on arrival that she owed more than £2,000 in “fees” — including airfare, visas, accommodation, and food. Within weeks, that debt doubled, leaving her with no choice but to comply.
“Money for air tickets, for your visa, for where you’re sleeping, food,” she said. “That means you have to work hard, hard, hard, pleading for men to come and sleep [with] you.”
Victims also described degrading “fetish” encounters, including clients defecating on them, forcing them to eat faeces, or staging violent acts. Such requests, they said, came mostly from wealthy foreign clients, including Europeans.
Tragedy in the Towers
The network’s alleged brutality is not just financial and sexual — it has turned deadly. Two young Ugandan women, Monic Karungi in 2022 and Kayla Birungi in 2021, both died after falling from high-rise Dubai apartments tied to Mwesigwa’s operations.
Authorities in Dubai ruled the deaths as suicides or linked them to drugs and alcohol, but their families contest these explanations. In Karungi’s case, her relatives say they never received her remains, and investigations suggest she may have been buried in an unmarked grave in Dubai’s Al Qusais Cemetery — known locally as “The Unknown.”
Warsan Tower in Dubai, from which Monic Karungi fell in May 2022
A relative, identified as Michael, said he received distraught voice notes from Karungi before her death, describing debts of more than $27,000 and her desperate hope of escaping Mwesigwa’s network.
Another survivor, Mia, claimed Karungi had secured a legitimate job and was planning her exit, but days later she fell to her death.
The similarities to Birungi’s case — where toxicology reports showed no drugs or alcohol in her system despite police claims — have intensified suspicions of foul play.
“Despicable” Exploitation
The BBC’s investigation sent shockwaves through Uganda, where labour migration to the Gulf has long been a source of income but also a source of tragedy. In response, Uganda’s Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs issued a strong statement on X (formerly Twitter):
“This gentleman, featured in the investigative @BBCWorld story below, must be arrested. We shall work with @Interpol to ensure he is brought to justice. The desperation of our young people for income and employment should never be exploited by treating them as sex objects. Such acts are despicable.”
The minister’s pledge reflects growing unease about the human cost of Uganda’s labour export industry, which contributes an estimated $1.2 billion annually in tax revenue. While many Ugandans secure safe and legitimate jobs abroad, others fall prey to traffickers operating through informal channels.
A Pipeline of Vulnerability
Activists have long warned of the dangers facing Ugandan workers in the Gulf. Mariam Mwiza, who has helped rescue more than 700 people, said trafficking networks routinely lure young women with fake contracts.
Kayla Birungi, another Ugandan, also died after falling from a Dubai high-rise building
“We get cases of people who have been promised to work, let’s say, in a supermarket. Then that person ends up sold as a prostitute,” she explained.
The BBC’s findings suggest such exploitation is systematic, facilitated by networks that pay off nightclub security, falsify paperwork, and operate through layers of intermediaries to shield ringleaders from accountability. Survivors reported being dismissed by local police when they sought help, reinforcing a sense of helplessness.
Mwesigwa’s Denial
For his part, Mwesigwa denies all allegations. He told the BBC he is merely a socialite, attracting women to his table through wealthy contacts and “big spenders.”
The final selfie Monic posted before she died
“These are all false allegations,” he said. “I am just a party person who invites big spenders on my tables, hence making many girls flock [to] my table. That makes me know many girls and that’s it.”
On the deaths of Karungi and Birungi, he insisted both were renting from other landlords and that the Dubai police had already investigated the cases.
A Call for Justice
Despite his denials, the mounting testimonies from survivors, relatives, and former associates paint a damning picture. For families in Uganda, like those of Monic Karungi and Kayla Birungi, grief remains compounded by unanswered questions and a lack of accountability.
As Uganda’s government pushes for Interpol cooperation to bring Mwesigwa to justice, the case has become emblematic of the dangers faced by the country’s young people in search of opportunities abroad.
“We are all looking at Monic’s death,” her relative Michael told the BBC. “But who is there for the girls still alive? They’re still there. Still suffering.”
