Uganda team manager has 'no idea' why boxers have disappeared

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August 5, 2026·1 min read·Updated 23 hours ago

Nuhu Batte, a boxer wearing a blue top with a small Ugandan flag printed on it, holds his fists up in the air while standing in a boxing ring. — Image caption, Nuhu Batte is one of the four boxers from Uganda who has vanishedBBC News

The four boxers - Ibrahim Kemis, 20, Nuhu Batte, 22, Emily Nakalema, 32 and Angel Katushabe, 21 - were due to fly back to Uganda on Tuesday.

Kayangwe said he has no idea why they have disappeared but suspects they are "probably still in Glasgow or somewhere in Europe."

"I don't know anything about why they decided not to fly home but I know they communicated with their team manager and said they would be coming back.

"But after that their phones went off, so they have definitely broken the camp rules because no athlete is supposed to leave without permission.

"Their visas are still valid until October so hopefully, probably, they will come back to their country."

Asked why the athletes might be looking to seek asylum, the team manager said he didn't know.

"I have totally no idea, absolutely no idea what type of asylum they would be seeking. It's nothing political, it's nothing to do with gender or something [like that] - I have absolutely no idea why they would be doing that."

Reporting from BBC News contributed to this story.