The public display of frustration, even anger, by the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) with music artistes in Uganda, has opened a Pandora’s box as the 2026 General Election comes within eyeshot.
Gen Salim Saleh, who is also President Museveni’s younger brother, wrote to Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) and Uganda Musicians Association (UMA), expressing his disappointment with the quality of work of their artistes. In Uganda, much like elsewhere in the world, music is a powerful tool for communication. OWC, one of many poverty alleviation programmes the State runs, uses it to convey information.
Over the years, relations between Gen Saleh and music artistes have thawed, thanks to a transactional relationship that has given bank balances of the latter a bump. The OWC chief coordinator, however, invoked the Scrooge in him on Christmas
Day. In a note jointly addressed to the UNMF and UMA, he disclosed paying $3,000 (about Shs10.8m) to one of the artistes, Omulangira Suuna (Emmanuel Suuna), for a badly done song he contracted him to produce about OWC.
“ I have decided to pay OS (Omulangira Suuna) for his work as an advert for OWC, not a song. All of you should compare my song on OWC by Nabasa produced by Michael Fingz and the advertorial work of OS,” the General wrote.……………CONTINUE READING……….
