In Nyamworoma Village, Kafunjo Ward, Mirama Town Council, Ntungamo District, the family of 22-year-old Claire Nabimanya gathers around a fire outside their home every evening, caught between grief and unanswered questions about how she died, and why her body remains thousands of kilometres away in Thailand.Claire left Uganda in May believing she had secured genuine work as a house-help in Thailand, hoping the opportunity would help lift her family out of poverty. Three months later, on Thursday, 20th July, her family learned through WhatsApp messages and social media posts that she had died, reportedly drowning in a swimming pool on the tourist island of Phuket.Her brother, Pius Tumwekwase, said he had spoken to Claire about a week before her death and she had assured him things were going well, only for him to later receive calls from bloggers informing him she had died.The family eventually obtained what they believe is a Thai police report indicating Claire died after an Indian tourist picked her up along Bangla Road in Phuket, one of the city’s busiest nightlife strips, and the two returned to a private villa where she later drowned.For a family that believed their daughter had travelled for domestic work, the detail raised troubling questions about what happened during the three months she was in Thailand, and who was responsible for her welfare after she arrived.An Untraceable RecruiterAccording to Tumwekwase, Claire travelled to Thailand through a woman the family knew only as Justine Peninnah, rather than through a licensed labour recruitment company. That detail has made accountability difficult, since recruitment agencies contacted in the course of reporting this story said they had no record of facilitating her travel, and no verified contact or address for the woman could be established.“We call upon Justine Peninnah to bring back Claire’s body,” Tumwekwase said, adding that the family does not even know which hospital is currently holding her remains.Claire’s mother, Justine Bakebwa, said she had encouraged and supported her daughter’s decision to travel abroad in the belief it would change the family’s circumstances, and is now appealing for help to have her daughter’s body returned for burial. The pain is compounded by history: Claire’s father reportedly died years ago in neighbouring Tanzania, and his body was never recovered.Claire’s sister, Bibiana Ninsiima, appealed directly to First Lady Janet Museveni for help bringing her sister home, saying the family never got to bury their father and does not want the same fate for Claire.Conflicting Accounts Between Thailand And UgandaThai police reportedly indicated that Claire’s body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for an autopsy and that authorities were coordinating with the Ugandan Embassy to notify her family and arrange repatriation. However, Uganda’s Head of Mission in Malaysia, Ambassador Betty Bigombe, whose docket also covers Thailand, gave a different account, saying she had learned of Claire’s death through social media and that Phuket authorities told her no official report had been made to them.Efforts to get clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including from the Head of Consular Services and the Permanent Secretary, did not yield a response.Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development spokesperson Joshua Kyalimpa said Uganda has no bilateral labour agreement with Thailand, meaning migrants are not officially cleared to work there, and suggested the case could point to trafficking.Claire’s story has resonated with other Ugandans who say they were lured abroad with promises of legitimate work, only to end up in exploitative situations. One woman who attended the family’s mourning said she had gone through a similar experience in Asia, ending up trafficked into sexual exploitation before eventually returning home alive. Her account has not been independently verified, but reflects broader concerns around informal recruitment networks operating outside official oversight.Before leaving Uganda, Claire had reportedly been living in Kampala, where she processed a National ID as part of her preparations to travel.As Thai investigators work to establish exactly how Claire died, her family in Ntungamo remains without a firm timeline for when, or whether, her body will be brought home.The post Family Of Ugandan Girl Who Died In Thailand Demands Answers, Body’s Return was written by the awesome team at Campus Bee.