In Uganda, the release of a BBC Africa Eye documentary on sex trafficking has set off a storm of debate online. The film, Death in Dubai, traces the deaths of young Ugandan women lured to the Gulf under false promises of work. It has also swept in a familiar name: television personality and party host Sheilah Gashumba.
On social media, critics have linked her recent calls for bottle service girls at her events to the wider trafficking scandal. Gashumba, who is currently best known for her “Choplife Uganda” parties, says those claims are unfair. She insists her lifestyle is built on years of work in the entertainment industry, not exploitation.
“Stop painting a bad picture of my story yet you should be learning from it!!!” she wrote in a lengthy post Thursday. “Don’t make excuse of your laziness. I host (push sales both alcohol and food in bars and clubs) from 10pm to 6am on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and now Djing and some of you can’t even sell a tomato at a market stall.”
Gashumba reminded her followers that she has spoken out before. In a 2022 tweet, she questioned why large groups of school-age girls were being sent abroad. “I always find large groups of girls (60 girls) below 18 years wearing school uniform all covered going to either Dubai or Qatar!! What exactly are these young girls going there for!! I really hope they are safe out there,” she wrote at the time.
Last December, she tried to reassure both fans and critics. “Whoever is near me knows that I want everyone near me to get money and enjoy life equally,” she posted. “The age limit for any girl or anyone to join ‘chop life’ is 21 years.”
This week, she went further, saying her work ethic has carried her since childhood. “I started working on TV when I was 8 years,” she recalled.
“My first phone was paid by my 80k per show (once a week) on WBS TV when I was 8 and tips I got miming Blu3! My father always told me ‘everyone you want, you must work hard for it, bank and save your money, you will have a good life more than people who steal’ years later I’m still standing and everyone who had a fast life is nowhere to be seen!”
She added that her family and friends worry she doesn’t rest enough. “Those who follow me everywhere know how much I work hard. My family and friends are always worried that I don’t rest and eat enough from all the bar hosting and mceeing and now Djingggg!!! Stop the propaganda.”
The timing of Gashumba’s defense comes as the BBC documentary pushes trafficking into the spotlight. Death in Dubai investigates the cases of two Ugandan women — Monic Karungi, known online as Mona Kizz, and Kayla Birungi — who died after falling from high-rise buildings in Dubai. Authorities labeled the deaths as suicides, but the documentary uncovered evidence suggesting both were trapped in a trafficking ring.
The film identifies Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, a former London bus driver, as allegedly running the network. Known in Dubai as “The Untouchable,” he is accused of luring women with fake job offers, trapping them in debt bondage, and forcing them into prostitution. Undercover footage shows him describing the system with ease.
The investigation also connects the trafficking to the viral #DubaiPortaPotty rumor, which described degrading sexual acts allegedly performed by women for wealthy clients. The BBC report suggests those rumors are rooted in the real exploitation of Ugandan women forced into fetish work.
Families of the victims, along with BBC reporters, say they faced silence from Dubai authorities. Toxicology reports for one of the women appeared to contradict official accounts. To date, little justice has been served, and some victims’ bodies have never been returned to their families.
For Gashumba, whose career spans TV hosting, emceeing, and now DJing, the backlash has added another layer to an already charged debate. “Stop the propaganda,” she told her followers. “Learn from my story.”
