Veteran Uganda musician Moses Matovu has died in gruesome battle with gangsters In kabalagala fighting to own Kampala Prostitute.
He was rushed to Kibuli Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Police has launched an active investigation into the suspected murder.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said Kabalagala police has registered a case of suspected murder. Investigators have visited the scene and began searching for the attackers.
Police had not disclosed the motive, number of assailants or weapon used by the time of publication.
Matovu co-founded the Afrigo Band in 1975, which grew into Uganda’s longest-running and most influential live music group.
Afrigo Band is Uganda’s oldest, longest-running, and most influential live musical group, celebrated for a vibrant 50-year legacy of fusing traditional Ugandan rhythms with jazz, afro-rumba, and Congolese soukous
The band was founded in Kampala on November 1, 1975, by a group of eight musicians—including legendary saxophonist and vocalist Moses Matovu—following the collapse of the popular Cranes Band.
The name “Afrigo” is a contraction of the motivational slogan “Africa-Go” (musically), reflecting their core mission to champion and elevate African music.
He served as the band’s leader, main vocalist, composer, and a master saxophonist.
He joined the music industry in the 1960s, first performing with the Thunderbirds Band before joining the Police Band and later the Cranes Band. Following the collapse of the Cranes Band, Matovu and other musicians founded Afrigo Band in 1975.
He remained the band’s central figure for decades, serving as its leader, saxophonist, vocalist and composer.With a career spanning nearly six decades, Matovu was one of the most recognisable figures in Uganda’s live-band music tradition and played a major role in keeping the genre alive through successive generations.
Spanning nearly six decades, his work helped shape and popularize Ugandan live band music and rumba.
Unlike many short-lived contemporary groups, Afrigo achieved historic longevity by operating professionally, employing permanent musicians on regular salaries, and consistently mentoring successive generations of artists
