Afrigo Band co-founder Moses Matovu dies after attack in Kibuli; police open murder investigation
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Veteran musician and Afrigo Band icon Moses Matovu has died after being attacked by unidentified assailants in Kampala. He was 77.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said Kabalagala Police had registered a case of suspected murder. Police say Matovu was attacked on the morning of Thursday, 24 September 2026, at Kibuli Market Zone B in Makindye Division. He was rushed to Kibuli Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
Kawala said "Our task team is currently at the scene conducting investigations," and that efforts were underway to identify and apprehend the suspected assailants. Police have not yet disclosed a possible motive or identified any suspects.
Matovu's family gave a different account of when the attack happened. His son, Ramadhan Kamoga, told CBS FM that his father was returning from work on Wednesday night when he was assaulted. Eyewitnesses told the family that a young man punched Matovu, who fell on the road and bled heavily. Police have not confirmed this account, and their statement places the attack on Thursday morning.
Investigations are ongoing.
Who was Moses Matovu?
Matovu, known to fans as Papa Moi, was one of the most recognisable figures in Uganda's live band music.
He was born in Kawempe on 19 June 1949. When his parents separated, he moved to Mengo with his mother at the age of five. He began his music journey in a church choir and became a singer, songwriter, saxophonist, flutist and band leader.
He began his professional career in 1967 as a vocalist with the Thunderbirds Band. He joined the Police Band in 1968 and the Cranes Band in 1969. When the Cranes Band disintegrated in 1975 after internal squabbles, he and fellow musicians formed Afrigo Band in Kampala on 31 August that year.
The band's name grew from the phrase "Africa go forward", and its early shows were played at Bat Valley Bar and Restaurant in Kampala. Matovu remained its central figure through the turbulent years of Idi Amin's government. The band's sound is heavily influenced by Congolese rumba and borrows from Ugandan traditional rhythms and folk music. It sings mainly in Luganda and has released 23 albums. Its hits include Oswadde Nyo, Omutanda Gyaali and Jim. Matovu's own compositions include Nantongo, Silina Anantwaala, Teri Mubi, Emiziro, Sofia and Genda Osome.
The band moved to its base in Kibuli in 1983, which was also Matovu's home. Afrigo performed at major hotels, clubs and venues, and toured Ugandan communities abroad. It is Uganda's longest serving music group and marked its 50th anniversary in 2025.
Beyond the stage, Matovu was once chairman of the Uganda Musicians Union and later served two terms as chairman of the Uganda Performing Rights Society. In December 2021, the Janzi Awards Academy honoured him with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his decades of contribution to Uganda's creative industry.
