Afrigo Band members in shock following Matovu’s death

Shock and disbelief have gripped members of Afrigo Band following the death of veteran musician and band founder Moses Matovu, who died after an attack on Thursday morning.

For musicians who had shared the stage with Matovu for decades, the news came as a devastating shock, with some struggling to comprehend how the man who had spent nearly six decades entertaining Ugandans could suddenly be gone.

Herman Ssewanyana, one of the band members, said he had been preparing for an appointment with Matovu when the devastating news reached him.

“We separated at 11:00 pm yesterday, as we had a scheduled appointment at 10:00 am on Thursday, but I was woken up at 5:00 am by someone who informed me that Matovu was dead,” Ssewanyana said.

The news was particularly difficult for the band members because Matovu was not simply their colleague but the central figure around whom Afrigo Band had been built for more than five decades.

Matovu was among the musicians who founded Afrigo Band in 1975 after the collapse of Cranes Band. He remained its leader, saxophonist, vocalist and composer, helping steer the group through changing generations of Ugandan music.

Details emerging about Matovu's final hours paint a disturbing picture.

According to accounts reaching the family and people familiar with the incident, Matovu was involved in an altercation and was struck by a yet unidentified man, causing him to fall onto the pavement, where he sustained serious injuries and bled heavily. The attacker reportedly fled the scene.

Another preliminary account indicated that Matovu was attacked as he made his way to a mosque for morning prayers. Police have confirmed that the incident happened at Kibuli Market Zone B in Makindye Division and have opened a case of suspected murder. He was rushed to Kibuli Hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

Police said a task team had been deployed to the scene to establish exactly what happened and identify those responsible. The motive and identity of the attacker or attackers remained unclear at the time of publication.

Among the first people to respond was fellow musician Rachel Magoola, who appeared bereft of words as news of Matovu's death spread.

For many members of Afrigo, Matovu's death represents the loss of more than a bandmate. It is the loss of a mentor and a towering figure whose career was intertwined with the history of Uganda's live-band music.

Matovu's musical journey began in the 1960s. He performed with the Thunderbirds Band before joining the Police Band and later the Cranes Band. Following the collapse of Cranes Band, he and fellow musicians went on to establish Afrigo in 1975.

For more than 50 years, Afrigo became a fixture on Uganda's entertainment scene, surviving changing musical tastes and generations of performers.

Matovu remained at the centre of that journey.

His death therefore leaves Afrigo members confronting not only the loss of a colleague but also the sudden absence of the man who had become synonymous with the band's identity.

At 77, Matovu was still actively involved in the band and its performances. His career, spanning almost six decades, made him one of the most recognisable figures in Uganda's live-band tradition.

As the investigation into his death continues, his bandmates are left to mourn a man they knew as musician, leader, mentor and friend.

For a band that had spent decades making music together, Thursday morning fell unusually silent.