Part of the performance featuring Afrigo’s Joanitah Kawalya and Rachel Magoola. Photos | Isaac Ssejj ombwe
They always say ‘class attracts class’ and that is what happened a few days ago as Afrigo Band put up their best during Alvin Mbugua’s farewell party in a multisensory Scotch Experience at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa.
From ‘Jim’, ‘Obangaina’ to ‘Maria’, the country’s most popular live band, Afrigo Band, serenaded the guests with its unique musical style as they danced and sang along to the timeless hit songs.
Their execution was so intriguing that it got the few invited guests to abandon their seats and dance to the grooving of the timeless jams from Afrigo.
It was a farewell party from members of the exclusive Johnnie Walker Blue Club for outgoing Uganda Breweries Ltd Managing Director, Mr Alvin Mbugua and the exquisite ceremony where he was presented with a lifetime membership to the blue club which he oversaw in 2015, during his first stint at UBL, when he served as Commercial Director.
Veteran musician Moses Matovu, a member of Afrigo Band perfomed.
“It gives me great joy that I leave a robust club of whisky connoisseurs and I couldn’t have asked for a better sendoff,” remarked Mr Mgugua.
The blue club membership entitles one to perks including; personal shopping service, bespoke gifting with custom labels, packaging and bottle engraving available year-round and first opportunity to purchase limited edition of JW products.
Other benefits include a right to host a luxury mentorship for up to 50 guests at a member’s residence, complimentary access to House of Walker locations across the globe and access to a Scotland trip concierge to visit the Princes street, a new global flagship experiential destination in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Guests at Mr Mbugua’s farewell were immersed in a multisensory Scotch experience, with mentorship, whisky tasting booths representing the four corners of Scotland that took guests on a Scotch journey appreciating the fruity notes, Glenkinchie’s floral and fruity palette to smoky Talisker, climaxing with Blue Label, the pinnacle of whisky blending.
Mr Mbugua was appointed UBL MD in 2019 and steered the business to a 33% growth in the last financial year, despite operating in a volatile environment characterised by Covid-19 lockdowns. He now moves to Panama, where he has been posted as General Manager, Diageo Caribbean and Central America (CCA), the largest beer business in Latin America and Caribbean region.
issejjombwe@ug.nationmedia.com