By Rafsanjan Abbey Tatya
At the height of its popularity in the late 90s & early 2000s, Kads Band played to sell out shows. Band members Titi Tabel (Sseggwanga), Akiiki Romeo (No Parking), Prossy Kankunda (Akalulu), John Kahwa (Adyeri), Bernard Munyigwa (Kambe Nawe/ Julie), Tony Kalanzi (Kampala) and Rashida Mukasa (Mutima Gwange) were household names in their own individual rights. Then its founder and chairman Willy Kamukama danced to the wrong tune.
…..FAST FORWARD TO 2006…..
It’s 5pm Friday, January 13, 2006, Mpigi town, Uganda. Kads band is performing live atop a mobile truck stationed in the town centre, and for FREE.
This is not a charity show thou. The band is in town as part of an advance team to open for President Museveni before he campaigns in the area (on Sunday) during the 2006 Presidential Campaigns.
Mzee Kamukama has put his band’s life on the line to openly campaign for the incumbent. In fact, Kamukama has convinced his band members to record a pro-Museveni album titled Kisanja [luganda for term] in support of the General’s Third Presidential Term Bid.
Kads band (minus Akiiki Romeo who has excused himself from this madness on grounds of his work with the UN) has been touring the country staging free concerts where they sing praise for the man with a hat.
Mzee Kamukama calls me up for a review of the Kisanja album in Daily Monitor. At the end of our talk, I curiously ask: “Won’t this drive away some of your fans who don’t support the president?” Kamukama replied: “Haha.
Come on, son. Everybody loves Museveni. It was my childhood dream to start Kads band, and President Museveni made this dream possible. I am simply saying ‘thank you M7 for enabling us grow.’
This regime brought peace of performing everywhere and anytime and if this industry is to grow, we have to support the stability the regime has brought.”
As it turned out, NRM couldn’t stabilize Kads band. Oh, let me put it this way: MUSEVENI KILLED KADS BAND.
……NOW FAST FORWARD TO 2016….
Tubonga Nawe almost claimed a bunch of artistes. How they escaped is a story for another day. But today I dare any established artiste to out a pro-kugikwatako song! They may never recover from the inevitable backlash. Let me put this into perspective for you, folks: Bobi Wine will never get back to the top as a musician.
Never! He has chosen a side. There’s definitely people on his opposite side. For whatever reason, these people won’t hire him for a concert or even tolerate his music on their car radio. Music unites, Politics divides.
Don’t shoot, let’s discuss.
#Kanve
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