Afrigo Band Leader Moses Matovu Killed in Kampala Attack

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 0840 EAT on Thursday 24 September 2026

Kampala, Uganda | URN | Veteran musician and Afrigo Band icon Moses Matovu has died after being attacked by unidentified assailants in Kampala.

Matovu died at Kibuli Hospital on Thursday morning, where he had been rushed after the attack. Preliminary information indicates that the veteran musician was attacked while on his way to a mosque for morning prayers. The circumstances surrounding the attack and the identity of the assailants were not immediately clear.

Matovu, 77, was a founding member and long-serving leader of Afrigo Band, which was formed in 1975 and became one of Uganda’s longest-running musical groups.

He began his music career in the 1960s, initially performing with the Thunderbirds Band before joining the Police Band and later the Cranes Band. After the collapse of the Cranes Band, Matovu and other musicians formed Afrigo Band.

For decades, Matovu remained at the center of the band, serving as its leader, saxophonist, vocalist and composer.
His career spanned nearly six decades, making him one of the most recognizable figures in Uganda’s live-band music scene. Through Afrigo Band, he helped preserve and popularize live-band music across generations.

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