Revealed: Deported Ugandan Girls, a UAE Move not Bobi Wine’s Initiative

According to the Entebbe International Airport authorities, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government deports an average of 30 Ugandans daily. These people are deported on grounds of using illegal means to access the country and due to over stay.

On 15^th October, the UAE government also deported 30 girls based on illegal stay in the country among which, 15 of them were picked up by a team from NUP led by the Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya with claims of having sponsored their repatriation.

The authorities said that the deportees in question used visit visas instead of employment visas to access the UAE. They had over stayed in the country illegally until they were deported on 15^th October by the United Arab Emirates government.

One of the deportees who preferred anonymity disclosed that upon landing at the Airport, they found a team from NUP waiting.

The deported girls were picked from the Airport by the team and driven to Bobi Wine’s home in Magere, where they met with Bobi wine and his wife. While in Magere, a press conference headed by Mapmedia was held where the girls were interviewed. Addressing the press, Bobi Wine claimed to have sponsored the repatriation of the girls.

However, one of the girls released a video clip shortly after leaving Bobi Wines home and refuted the claims and told the press that she and her colleagues were sponsored by a volunteer in the US on coming back to Uganda. She also revealed that Bobi Wine promised to reward them Ugx100,000 after they had been interviewed by Mapmedia.

“Some lady called Agaba from the US sent Ugx10million to Bobi Wine and told him to buy tickets for ten girls. But me, I sponsored myself. On arrival Mapmedia saying it belongs to NUP asked to interview us promising to give us Ugx100,000 shillings after the interview. I refused because I don’t want things to do with politics. Anyway, I thank God that I’m back home,” Namutebi said.

Family members of the repatriated girls have also raised concerns that they contributed money towards their repatriation but Bobi Wine owned it. The same concerns have been raised by people from the diaspora who are pressing NUP to account for the money that they fundraised to help the girls in UAE. 

The authorities at the Airport said that as routine security measures, the deportees go through interrogation upon landing at the Airport to find out who trafficked them. However, the 15 girls that were later picked by the Bobi wine team refused to disclose the agents in Uganda and UAE who were involved in sneaking them out of the country.

The authorities have also revealed that most deported people do not go to through licenced labour companies while heading to UAE and neither do they go through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

They explained that the policy of deportation mandates the country carrying out the act to foot the bills of those being sent back home. The UAE government always gathers deportees at centres until they get to a specific number, who are then deported on the government’s bill.

On 9^th September, 2022, the Daily Monitor published an article which revealed that the Government of Uganda through Ministry of Gender, the UAE was going to repatriate over 400 stranded Ugandans in phases. For Bobi Wine to come out and claim that it is his effort, is a selfish move. Taking advantage of the vulnerable to build his political capital and extort money from their families and those in diaspora is laughable. The sad side is that the public continues to be hoodwinked into believing the rants of a desperate opportunist.