Grief swept through Entebbe International Airport on June 29, 2025, as two of the Ugandans who perished in a recent fire in Kuwait were repatriated. The remains of Wilberforce Gitta and Esawo Musisi Gaganga, among six nationals who lost their lives in the June 1st tragedy, arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight and were received amid emotional scenes from grieving families and friends.
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The two men had traveled to Kuwait in search of better opportunities but tragically died when a fire—reportedly caused by a faulty air conditioning unit—engulfed the building they lived in. Loved ones, overwhelmed with emotion, waited for over an hour before viewing the wooden boxes containing the remains. Each body was later transported to the deceased’s ancestral home for burial.
Family members shared heartbreaking details of their last conversations with the deceased. Gaganga, a young father and the family’s breadwinner, had called his mother just hours before his death, while Gitta, a mechanical engineering graduate, had left Uganda to escape unemployment. Both were remembered as hardworking, determined young men with dreams of supporting their families.
Their return highlights the growing risks faced by Ugandan migrant workers abroad. Advocacy groups like the Kyeyo Initiative Uganda and the Ugandan Community in Kuwait are still working to repatriate the remaining bodies. DNA testing is underway for some victims whose bodies were severely burned, while one survivor remains in intensive care.
The tragedy underscores the dangers faced by Ugandans seeking employment overseas and the emotional toll their deaths take on families left behind.
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