Afrigo Band icon Moses Matovu killed in Kampala attack

By DAVID VOSH AJUNA

Veteran musician and Afrigo Band icon Moses Matovu has died after he was attacked by unidentified assailants in Kampala, police have confirmed.

Matovu, 77, died at Kibuli Hospital on Thursday morning, where he had been rushed after the attack.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said “the musician was attacked early Thursday at Kibuli Market Zone B in Makindye Division and later succumbed to his injuries.”

Preliminary information indicates that the singer-songwriter was attacked past 5am as he made his way to a mosque for morning prayers.

The circumstances surrounding the attack and the identity of the assailants were not immediately clear.

Kawala emphasized that a “task team was at the scene investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, while efforts were underway to identify and apprehend the suspects.”

His body was still at the mortuary by 8am Thursday as family and friends began gathering, pending funeral arrangements.

Matovu was a founding member of Afrigo Band, which he formed in Kampala on August 31, 1975, together with Tony Ssenkebejje, Jef Sewava, Charles Ssekyanzi and Jessy Gitta.

The band went on to become one of Uganda’s longest-running and most influential live bands.

He joined the music industry in the 1960s, initially performing with the Thunderbirds Band before moving to the Police Band and later the Cranes Band.

Following the collapse of the Cranes Band, Matovu and other musicians founded Afrigo Band.

He remained a central figure in the band for decades, serving as its leader, saxophonist, vocalist and composer.

Matovu was born in Kampala on June 19, 1949 to the late Abdallah Bukenya bin Adam and Solome Nakitto in Kawempe, Kampala.

With a career spanning nearly six decades, Matovu became one of the most recognisable figures in Uganda’s live-band music tradition and played a major role in sustaining the genre across generations.

**Murder in Uganda **

According to the Police Annual Crime Report, 9,651 people were killed in homicide cases and traffic incidents in 2025, down from 9,749 deaths recorded under the two categories in 2024.

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