Where Did Mike Ezra Go? Uganda’s Vanishing Millionaire

At the height of his fame, Mike Ezra embodied Kampala’s love for spectacle. He rolled up to parties in sleek cars, spoke casually of buying an English Premier League team, and splashed cash like it was confetti. But almost overnight, Uganda’s most flamboyant tycoon slipped out of sight—leaving a trail of unanswered questions and unpaid debts.

The unravelling began in late 2010 when Ezra was accused of issuing two cheques worth nearly Shs 800 million to businessman Frank Katusiime that bounced. Police obtained warrants for his arrest and the Uganda Revenue Authority froze his accounts over tax disputes. Detectives descended on his plush offices on Kyadondo Road, but the man himself was gone. Sources whispered that he’d been tipped off, vanishing just hours before the raid.

Ezra dismissed the allegations from afar, calling them a “hoax” and insisting the frozen accounts explained the missed payments. But his trademark public bravado gave way to silence. Kampala’s once-perennial headline maker had become a ghost.

In February 2011, the hunt crossed borders. Kenyan police picked him up in Nairobi on fraud charges and detained him at Gigiri Police Station before a court appearance. Grainy video from the time shows a subdued figure, a striking contrast to the self-assured millionaire who had promised to bankroll Uganda’s sports and even buy Leeds United.

After that arrest, the trail grew cold. Cases dragged on quietly, and rumours swirled—of hidden fortunes abroad, of a new identity, of quiet deals struck out of court. Nothing was ever confirmed.

Years later, socialites like Brian White would mimic Ezra’s cash-splashing lifestyle, but none have matched the mystery he left behind.

More than a decade on, one question still hangs over Kampala’s glittering skyline: Where did Mike Ezra go? Whether he was an ambitious entrepreneur undone by bad luck or a master of disappearing acts, Uganda has yet to see another showman quite like him.

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