The Truth About MONA KIZZ - Dubai's "Porta Potty" Viral Rumour Hid Something Much Darker

When 23-year-old Ugandan Monic Karungi, known online as Mona Kizz, died after falling from a Dubai high-rise in May 2022, social media quickly connected her death to the disturbing “Dubai Porta Potty” trend. But a BBC investigation later discovered that viral videos supposedly showing Monic were not her at all.

Behind the misinformation was a much darker story. Women interviewed by investigators alleged they had been recruited to Dubai with promises of legitimate jobs before becoming trapped in debt and pressured into sex work. Several linked their experiences to a man known as Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, who denies running an illegal prostitution network. Monic had reportedly been trying to escape that world shortly before her death. Now her story raises troubling questions about exploitation, trafficking, misinformation and what really happened during her final months in Dubai.