Musician turned politician Bobi Wine furiously attacked government for allocating Shs13 billion to the artistes, saying that the entertainment industry needs favourable policies not cash handouts which are going to benefit a few selected individuals.
While addressing the media in Kampala on Tuesday, Bobi Wine, real name Mr Robert Kyagulanyi urged government to consider passing laws that will benefit all stakeholders in the entertainment across the country rather than extending cash which is not likely to benefit the artistes beyond the capital city.
“I am an artiste and I’m not only knowledgeable but also concerned in this area. I know that the entertainment industry needs support but the support we need is not handouts, we need policies that will make even the artistes in Kaabong or Kaberamaido to benefit from a good system, not handouts,” he said
“I have told my fellow artistes that they should not be reduced to beggars but many of them were arguing that I am bringing politics into music. But I want to reiterate my point that politics is concerned with slicing the taxpayers’ money and apportioning it to different things,” he added.
He further added that the best thing the government can do, “is to pass and implement the Copyright law that will protect the artistes but not to give them money.”
“However, since General Museveni believes in patronage and bribing, he has put that money aside, which I am even sure that it is not going to reach the artistes. The artistes are only being used to steal money and before long you will see fights and divisions in the industry. Even so many of them will be silenced and compromised to support the regime because they will have committed crimes relating to corruption,” he added.
Shortly after Bobi Wine’s remarks, various social media platforms were awash with short video clips of rebuttal statements by the president of Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) and an artist, Edrisah Musuuza aka Eddy Kenzo, who asked the former presidential contender to stop using the music industry to play his political games.
“Let us separate politics from music, because there is no way we can develop the industry if we don’t collaborate with the government. Let us face the fact, the entertainment industry is struggling. Artistes need to be rescued, their property is being seized by money lenders,” Kenzo said in one of the clips posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“It looks like he [Bobi Wine] has got hatred for our industry. He was in Parliament for five years but I didn’t see him advocating for the industry. So, let him give us space to fight for this industry. If time comes and he takes over the state power, we shall as well pick up from there,” he added.
Combo: Bobi Wine and Eddy Kanzo further urged the opposition NUP party leader to front patriotism ahead of his personal political ambitions for the good of the country.
“I understand that Bobi has to mobilize because he wants as many numbers as he can to pursue his cause, but he must love his country first. This will enable him to advocate for the national interests rather than his personal agendas,” he said.
“It is also absurd that at his position he is ignorant about some of the important issues, because it is not true that artistes were allocated Shs30 billion as he said. Artistes have not received this money, unless he has the details that are not known to us yet,” he added.
“I am an artiste and I’m not only knowledgeable but also concerned in this area. I know that the entertainment industry needs support but the support we need is not handouts, we need policies that will make even the artistes in Kaabong or Kaberamaido to benefit from a good system, not handouts,” he said