Uganda Airlines officials Gabriel Omongot (Left) and Doreen Nambatya Mulindwa participate in a brick-making project to build a house for Dhabangi.
There was excitement, coupled with ululations and traditional dances after a team of Uganda Airlines officials led by Ag. Sales and Marketing Manager, Doreen Nambatya Mulindwa stormed Nambaale village, Nambaale Parish in Nambaale Sub-County (Iganga district) on Wednesday November 12, 2021 for charity and marketing purposes.
Iganga is Henry Mutebe’ ancestral home. Mutebe a few months ago shared a story about Wilson Dhabangi and Rebecca Mukyala, who helped him when he was schooling. This saw the two ordinary Ugandans upgraded from Economy to Business Class as Mutebe surprised them with a flight to Nairobi, Kenya.
Although he was a poor man, Dhabangi is rich at heart; he peddled his bicycle to visit Mutebe at school every Sunday while Mukyala was Mutebe’s nanny as Mutebe’s mother combed the Country looking for money as a trainer with Pathfinder International.
24 years later after school and now working, Mutebe made Dhabangi’s dream of one day boarding an aircraft come true with a Flight to neighboring Kenya using Uganda Airlines.
As a result of the Dhabangi-Mukyala story, the team travelled to confirm to the community that Uganda Airlines is real and that anyone can ‘Fly the Crane’.
“But when he returned, he started narrating his flight experience to the community, people started saying he had run mad,” Mutebe explained the reason for the visit.
According to Nambatya, Mutebe’s letter was unique.
“We didn’t know Henry (Mutebe) had his mother and wife on board. He didn’t say anything about them but talked about Rebecca and Dhabangi whom he has no blood ties with. That was unique. Oftentimes you hear people say upgrade my wife, my mother etc,” Nambatya said, adding: “We don’t have money; as a government agency, we did what we could – an upgrade from Economy to Business Class. We didn’t think it would make a big difference.”
Dhabangi’s journey to Flying the Crane, Nambatya says is testimony that anyone can fly with Uganda Airlines.
“Uganda Airlines is yours. Dhabangi entered it. You too can. You don’t need a passport to fly. You need a travel permit or a national ID and we have taken people through how to acquire travel permits,” she said.
Decent housing
Part of Mutebe’s dream is to one day put up a decent accommodation for Dhabangi and Mukyala and as part of the Airlines Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the airline has embarked on a campaign to solicit for funds so as to help Mutebe’s dream come true.
Mukyala currently rents a two-room house at Nambaale I while Dhabangi lives in a makeshift mud house at Nabitovu North.
“We are calling upon individuals and corporate companies to give in the little they have to change a life,” Nambatya said.
Launching the projects on Wednesday, Nambatya said the two houses will cost Shs350 million.
Nambatya says Uganda Airlines requires 300, 000 people each contributing Shs10, 000 each to achieve the dream.
Dhabangi and Mukyala are thankful to God, Uganda Airlines and Mutebe.
