What went wrong at the UE Awards?

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Fast forward to this year's edition of the Uganda Entertainment Awards at the Serena Hotel, Katonga Hall, Kampala last Friday. It seems Cents Events; the organisers of the second instalment of the awards have not learnt their lesson.

The awards started shortly after 9:00pm and were riddled with lots of production glitches. In the first few sessions, the audio announcements differed from the screening.

Nigerian super star singer, Yemi Alade performs

The choice for the gong for the Humanitarian Award seemed obvious. Everyone, except the judges, of course, expected it to be a female artiste who has stopped singing and went into charity. In fact let's take the judges out of this equation. Jack Pemba, one of the sponsors of the awards, stomped on the stage announced himself as the Humanitarian Award winner. He also received a bouquet of flowers on that note.

Pastor Jessica Kayanja receives the Humanitarian Award on behalf of Pastor Robert Kayanja

 
But the revellers braved all of it because they expected things to get better. And indeed they did. The emcees Salvador, Malaika Nnyanzi and Andrew Kyamagero had chemistry.

They kept the audience laughing their ribs out with a series of skits. Salvador owned the night. He turned it into a prelude to his upcoming Africa laughs show.

The MCs: Idringi Salvado, Urban TV's Malaika Nyanzi and Andrew Kyamager

 
He joked at every opportunity he got, evoking thunderous applause that almost made the audience forget the earlier glitches in the ceremony.

That was until the C.E.O of Uganda Entertainment Awards, Kabz Haloha, ambled onto stage in the company of South African former Big Brother contestant Abigail Brigette Plaatjies popularly known as Abby, Gaetano's "ex". The audience booed Haloha. All the fury for the earlier mistakes was directed to him.

Capt.Mike Mukula(R) and businessman Bulaimu Muwanga Kibirige (BMK)(L)

 
After that came a performance from The Scorpion Girls, a Tanzanian group, whose mime was received with jeers and boos followed by a thunderous good-riddance clap as they walked off the stage.

Drama continued when Pastor Robert Kayanja was announced the Humanitarian Award Winner. Yes, it was the second time the award was being given out. When his wife Jessica Kayanja walked onto the stage to receive the award, the plaque had developed legs and seemed to have walked off. It took two awkward minutes to locate it. The award was also confused, it seems.

Chairman Roofings Group SIikander Lalani(R)

 
In what was unanimously agreed as an anti-climax, Nigerian super star singer, Yemi Alade hopped onto stage, performed one and a half songs and left. She sung Na Gode and Looking for my Johnny's chorus and left, promising to return for a huge concert. The stage went dark behind her booty.

It took the audience close to 40 minutes to realise that the ceremony had ended.

Not even Salvador could crack his way out of this travesty of a ceremony neither did the other emcees return to close the event and one-by-one, the audience walked out.

 The Afrigo Band

Navio and Nandujja perform

Bukedde TV's Dorah Namara with her plaque

The red carpet moment

 
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