Veteran Musicians Outraged as Eddy Kenzo Claims Modern Stars Outshine the Legends.
A deep rift has opened within the Ugandan music industry as legendary Kadongo Kamu icons, led by the venerable Fred Sebatta, voice their sharp disappointment with Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) president Eddy Kenzo. The friction follows recent remarks from the "Sitya Loss" star that appeared to diminish the professional and financial legacies of the industry's founding fathers.
The controversy began when Kenzo praised his own generation for "changing the narrative" of the local music scene. He specifically credited modern artists for prioritizing their public image and "branding," while suggesting that the older generation failed to achieve a similar level of professional or financial success. These comments did not sit well with the veterans, including household names like Kibijigiri, Kazibwe Kapo, and Willy Mukabya, who viewed the comparison as both ahistorical and deeply disrespectful.
Fred Sebatta, a cornerstone of Ugandan folk music, was particularly vocal in his rebuttal, pointing out the starkly different economic landscapes the two generations occupied. He noted that while today’s stars often enjoy corporate sponsorships and various forms of external financial support, his era was characterized by a lack of infrastructure and predatory lending. In a rare and vulnerable admission, Sebatta revealed that the high-interest loans required to fund his career during those tougher years led him into a staggering debt of nearly Shs 260 million—a financial burden he is still navigating today.
The veterans maintain that they laid the groundwork for the modern industry under extreme conditions without any of the privileges current stars take for granted. This escalating tension highlights a growing need for dialogue within the UNMF to ensure that the pursuit of a new narrative does not come at the expense of honoring the legends who built the stage. As the debate continues, fans are left wondering if the Federation can bridge the gap between the flashy success of today and the gritty, hard-earned endurance of the past.
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