By Jako David Waluluka
The disappearance of the Vice President of the Ugandan North American Association (UNAA), Charles Bukenya ‘Muvawala’, is shocking but not surprising.
Reports of his alleged ‘kidnap’ in a dreaded drone car at the 1 am conspicuous time in the early hours of Thursday morning from Nakulabye, Kampala, leave a lot to be desired.
What is shocking is that Muvawala who is said to also hold United States citizenship, has gone missing without a trace for almost 72 hours now.
Though there are eyewitness reports of men donning military attire at the time of his alleged ‘kidnap’, with one claiming that he had just alighted from an ATM by his sister while the other says he was coming out of a notorious hippy hangout in the area no one has conclusively come out to affirm the same.
Neither the American embassy nor the Uganda police have officially come out with an official statement as regards his plight, save for a disappearance, report of Bukenya Charles (Muvawala) made by one Busingye Ronald, SD REF; 59/03/2925 at Old Kampala Police station.
Muvawala, a former radio presenter, comedian and local MC, had for over fifteen years been living quietly in the United States until he obtained citizenship.
With his newfound citizenship status, he started living larger than life and soon started making moneyed trips back to Kampala, where he has often jetted into a plush and showy lifestyle synonymous with ‘Nkuba Kyeyo’s’.
During these visits that pre coincided with the UNAA conference preparation period, it is alleged that Muvawala had assumed the prestigious role of being a coach and facilitator of those planning to travel and eventually stay in the land of opportunities.
Many of these UNAA hopefuls always have a negative story about why they need that ‘visa’ so fast with some claiming queer sexual orientation and political persecution of sorts.
Having assumed the post of the UNAA vice presidency, it had come very easy for Muvawala, to manoeuvre his way through the much-needed paperwork overhead.
It is claimed that these operations put him not only on the watch radar of both Uganda and US security operatives according to a relative who sought anonymity.
While others say that Muvawala, was also involved in many estate managing of Ugandans in the US, which may have gone wrong.
The aforementioned ingredients point at a man who not only lived large but also on a thread which could easily make him a target of many a scorned client.
This does not rule out that Muvawala, may also simply be an unfortunate victim of a ransom squad of sorts.
His disappearance has also attracted the attention of The opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) President, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) who in an X statement said that he; confirmed Muvawala’s missing and condemned the incident, linking it to the increasing wave of abductions targeting opposition figures and Ugandan nationals in the diaspora.
Whatever the circumstances of his disappearance, Charles Bukenya Muvawala’s family deserves to know his fate.
