Moses Matovu’s saxophone has fallen but the music of a nation will not

What the report says

The Observer reports on the life and legacy of Moses Matovu, a key figure in Uganda’s modern live-band tradition and one of the founders of Afrigo Band. Born in Kawempe, Kampala, in 1949, Matovu began singing in the Namirembe Cathedral Choir, later played with several bands in the 1960s and early 1970s, and recorded early songs including “Jimmy Saasira.” In 1975, after the collapse of the Cranes Band, he helped establish Afrigo Band in Kampala alongside other musicians, building what the article describes as a durable cultural institution rather than just a personal music career.

The piece traces how Afrigo developed a signature sound that blended Congolese rumba, jazz, funk, Ugandan rhythms and folk influences, performed mainly in Luganda but also in other local languages and Kiswahili. It notes that the band endured political upheaval, equipment losses and changing musical trends, yet continued to rebuild and attract new generations of performers. Musicians including Joanita Kawalya and Rachael Magoola joined in 1989, helping carry the band forward.

The article says Matovu’s songwriting catalogue included titles such as “Katonda Yakola Omukwano,” “Emiziro,” “Ekadde,” “Sofia” and “Genda Osome,” reflecting themes of family, faith, memory and education. It also highlights Afrigo’s role in sustaining live instrumentation in Uganda at a time when recorded and electronic music became more dominant. The Observer frames Matovu’s passing as significant not only for the band but for Ugandan popular music more broadly, because of the institution he helped build and the generations he influenced.