UCC Backs Biggest Kandongo Kamu Night ‘Ataakulaba Akunyoma’ Set for Sheraton July 31

By Meddy Walusimbi Omuyiribi / Sunday, 26th July, 2026

Stage set, lights wired and sound systems in place. What a night it will be at Sheraton Hotel on the 31st of July 2026, this Friday. Looking at the lineup of the night, it is undoubtedly true that no one could pull off this vintage package of golden musicians other than Hon. Nyombi Thembo, the UCC Executive Director. He is such a lover of Golden Music, I’ve often seen him dance to such melodies. In my whole life, I’ve never seen a person so powerful and yet very humble and with utmost humility like Hon. Thembo. Very dedicated, and such a perfectionist, I have no doubt that the Ataakulaba Akunyoma Kandongo Kamu show will be a blast.

UCC Bankrolls a Cultural Comeback

Kandongo Kamu is the core and lifeline to the music industry in Uganda. With artists like Fred Ssebatta bringing back the golden memories of Matendo guitar singers, tunes like Ddole y’omwaana and Nvakumusawo are reason enough to force my father to pull out his dancing shoes once again. We thank UCC for always supporting the music industry. From time to time, artists like Karole Kasita among others have always been supported by the institution.

In the early 2000s, I grew up listening to Kandongo music to which my father always listened and danced. I can list a number of country music artists from Uganda that even ended their careers before I came to life. Thanks to my father for introducing me to these melodies for the ear, with lots of wisdom and messages that shall live even when we are gone.

The Eternal Debate: Basudde vs Kafeero

When we talk Kandongo Kamu, what comes to my mind is the endless debate that has never been resolved: That’s the debate on who was a better Kandongo Kamu singer between Basudde Ssemakula from Masaka and Prince Job Paul Kafeero from Kyaggwe. These two are undoubtedly known as the icons of Kandongo Kamu and maybe the entire Ugandan music industry, depending on the lenses one is wearing. The two happened to share the same platform like you would compare Messi and Ronaldo.

Basudde Ssemakula: The Storyteller
Basudde was an absolutely sensational storyteller. And when it came to songs about women, everyone would put their hats off for him. His songs like Mukyala Mugerwa and Wassa Nju could clearly tell you the kind of rare brand of artist he was. One of the hits that lighted up Basudde’s career was “Otulabyeko nyo”. In the song, he had given up on the city after facing various challenges like witchcraft and unfair competition and being cheated by music promoters several times, he was packing his bags to go back to Bubondo, Masaka. Surprisingly, the song became such a big hit that fetched him lots of money and revived his confidence and career.

Basudde’s “Bddu owedda” talks about the way majority of Ugandans abandoned their homes and birth places to go and look for greener pastures in the city and beyond. Indeed, in his reasoning, if all the rich people that have done massive projects and built homes in the city were to go back and develop their home villages, places like Masaka will be paradise.

Unfortunately, the majority of us didn’t get a chance to exist in his era. We came to life after he was gone, but the messages in his songs live on. His signature song “Bus Dunia” is unmatched up to date. He summarized the political atmosphere at the moment with perfect predictions of the future in his song. He was referred to as a prophet of music, and indeed his record speaks so. We shall forever miss him. Such a rare talent. Basudde’s life came to an end in the late 90s. We lost him to a car accident that happened along Masaka road as he drove from Bubondo, his darling home that he always sang about with pride. It was such a darkness that befell the industry, a deep hole that shall never be filled.

Prince Job Paul Kafeero: The Vocal Master
On the other hand, Kafeero’s strength was in his vocal abilities and perfect storytelling. When you listen to his song titled “Kampala Mu Court” it speaks to the general political picture in our city to date, about sanitation. No wonder, lately, the government has made every last Saturday of the month a mandatory day for cleaning, with curfew from 7am to 10am so that everyone engages in cleaning their villages.

Kafeero mastered the art of sarcasm and you could see this in his songs like Lusiya Kawala Kakinyoozi. His signature song “Walumbe Zaaya”, which was particularly about death, became anthem to all funerals even up to date. Each time you hear that song played anywhere, what comes to your mind is that someone has passed away somewhere. One of the most controversial songs of Paul Kafeero was “Dipo Niziggala” meaning he had closed all bars and vowed never to drink alcohol again. This was a shocker, Kafeero was always known for his love for liquor and hard drinks that turned his vibes up whenever he was heading for bigger shows and crowds for performance. He was always vocal and justifying his drinking, he once asked in one of his songs, “Is it alcohol that claims lives of toddlers?” meaning, death is an unavoidable occurrence and they shouldn’t tag it to alcohol. When he sang “Dipo Niziggala” fans and fellow lovers for alcohol were shocked, only to learn that this was just about his sarcasm, he continued to enjoy liquor till his last days.

It’s painful that as we come to this Golden Kandongo Kamu show, just recently, the remains of the Kandongo Kamu hero Paul Kafeero were exhumed so as to confirm DNA tests with the many people that claimed to be his sons and daughters and unfortunately, the results proved otherwise. It was a shocker to the industry, while many saw it as disrespect to the dead, it’s equally sad to know that with the legacy he built, his family still undergoes endless disunity and fights about his hard earned property he left behind. We pray that all is well. It really pains us all to know of these troubles in his family.

What a rare brand of artists! Indeed, nature is not extravagant with such talents. They are one of a kind. It is right to say, death robbed us of Basudde and Kafeero, taking with them the CPU of Kandongo Kamu. This is undebatably true.

Question still stands: Between Basudde Ssemakula and Paul Kafeero, who do you think was the best Kandongo Kamu artist of all times?

What to Expect on July 31 at Sheraton

On 31st July, at Sheraton Hotel, UCC gives us a chance to have such golden memories of the past. Artists like Ssebatta, Kibijjigiri, Nakakawa, Mzee Ssepiriya, Ssalongo Dan Mugura, Mensuseera Ssegamwenge and Dan Mugula will take us ages back. What a chance we have to catch what we really missed.

As if that’s not enough, Ataakulaba Akunyoma has fused in artists like Willy Mukabya, Kiweewa and Sir Mathias Walukagga, who nearly became a member of parliament recently. We just can’t wait to know what happened to his journey to parliament.

Among those that shall bless the night is Hon. Nyombi Thembo, the UCC ED, who will also have the mic to bring out his vocals that day. This Kandongo Kamu show revealed to us that Omulagira Wasajja is indeed a talent that the music industry really missed. While premiering the show, he sang a few songs and the entire country was mesmerized by his vocal abilities. We can’t wait to have more of the same.

Among guests expected on that day is the Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, whose love and support to the music industry is unquestioned.

Grab Your Ticket
Grab your ticket before it’s late. Ataakulaba Akunyoma Kandongo Kamu show is one of a kind in generations that you can’t afford to miss.