How Facebook love ended in epic tears

What is it that endeared you to your significant other? For Ibra Mukaya, like most of us, it was the tone of voice.

“She told me she had gotten my telephone contact on Facebook and decided to call me because she wanted a man to marry her,” the resident of Ngeye Village in Busana Sub-county, Kayunga District, told the Monitor from the sitting room of his mud and wattle house.

Mukaya had for two years unsuccessfully tried to get a wife. The telephone call the 26-year-old separated father of one got on September 26 was a godsend. The voice on the other side of the telephone belonged to Rose Nagujja of Kabonera B village in Kabonera Sub-county in Masaka District. Or so Mukaya thought.

For the next three weeks, the love birds would exchange pleasantries remotely. Mukaya was extravagant in his usage of sweet nothings.

“Although I had not seen Rose physically, the love and affection she demonstrated towards me was enough to make me decide that I marry her,” Mukaya revealed, adding that his heart always melted when she kept “referring to me as honey.”

When the relationship hit the one-month mark, Mukaya made up his mind to finally meet his literal and proverbial Rose in the flesh.

“On October 13, I sent her transport of Shs56,000 via mobile money so that she can travel to Kayunga,” he recalls.

Rose embarked on the journey from Masaka to Kayunga that very day and arrived at 7:30pm. The dusk demesnes of night did not hide her hijab. Rose also had a bag that Mukaya would later establish contained her dresses, knickers, and bras among other things. Rose fell into Mukaya’s warm embrace.

The lovebirds were truly unstoppable. Mukaya’s relatives were eagerly awaiting Rose’s arrival. She did just that at 8pm amidst wild cheers. Dinner was soon served. Then came the time when the lovebirds were supposed to retreat to the bedroom. Mukaya says he was shocked by Rose’s decision not to have a bath. She declined on account of the cold weather conditions.

Mukaya grudgingly accepted Rose’s insistence that she does not have a bath. Red flags started to fly when at 10pm Rose showed no intent of going to the bedroom. After running out of patience, Mukaya dragged Rose from the sitting room to his bedroom. What awaited him was the mother of all shocks.

“[…] when she undressed I was shocked that she had very small breasts like those of a man, and when I asked why she  told me that in their family they have small breasts,” he told Monitor.

More shocks were yet to come. In their love nest, Mukaya felt what seemed like a phallus. It now dawned upon him that his Rose was not what he imagined or even hoped for her to be.

But as Mukaya went to inform neighbours, Rose used the window to vanish into thin air. A manhunt was mounted. It ended at 2am with little or no inroads made. Another manhunt in the morning was successful. Rose had spent the night in the bush. She was consequently taken to Mr Benard Obothi, the area LC 1 chairman, with irate residents baying for her blood. Soon Busaana police station  and later Kayunga central police station were roped in

Ms Rosette Sikahwa, the Kayunga district police commander, on Thursday said they later learnt that Rose’s real name is Joseph Nsubuga. Uganda’s new anti-gay law also meant that Mukaya was also caught in the crosshairs.

“We detained him for two days and from his explanation discovered he was innocent,” a police detective at Kayunga central police station said.

The detective further revealed that upon interrogation, the 17-year-old Nsubuga said his motive was only to get money from the Mukaya. Nsubuga added that he does not identify as gay.

“Because he is a minor, we contacted his relatives in Masaka District who later travelled to Kayunga police and we handed over the boy to them,” the detective disclosed, adding, “We would have charged him with impersonation but he is a minor so we decided to release him without any charge.”

An unidentified relative of Nsubuga said the teenager is a primary six dropout.

“When he dropped out of school, he became notorious as he got involved in bad acts with peers. We are thinking of taking him to Kampiringisa Rehabilitation centre,” the teary relative said.

On his part, Mukaya says this latest setback will not stop his quest for a wife.

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