MONEY-TALKS;  UNMF President Eddie Kenzo and Alure Suites Hotel Boss have Last Laugh as 13bn SACCO is All but an Assured Conclusion

Multi-award-winning singer and Uganda National Musicians Federation president Edirissa Musuuza aka Eddy Kenzo and the Alure Suites Hotel formerly Serene Suites situated in Mutundwe, are now the most sought-after personalities of this week.

This follows the news of the UNMF outfit being in readiness to receive a whopping 13 billion shillings plus meant for the set-up of what is said to be the inaugural UNMF SACCO.

These funds are said to be coming from the now hot-off-the-grill supplementary budget, which the National Unity Platform President Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, has also claimed is riddled by a 100M bounty for each member of parliament though the speaker Hon, Anita Anent Among Magogo, has rubbished as hogwash and pedestrian hearsay.

It should be noted that Kenzo, also recently had a meeting with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, where he penned that he had met the president regarding the same SACCO.

Harmony in Disarray

However, during the same meeting, it was revealed that the president had tasked Kenzo to first reach conformity with both the Uganda Musicians Association led by Cinderella Sanyu aka Cindy.

This impediment later led to several meetings that were held at the reclusive Lattitude Hotel premised in Kizungu Makindye, in a bid to resolve the impasse.

During this period there emerged a mirage of camps that tried to forge away forward as the anticipated monies lay in an abyss mode.

These included;

The Hon.Hilary Kiyaga aka Hilderman and  Hon. Kayemba Solo Camp;

It should be noted that Dr.Hilderman was the man who officially orchestrated the process of amending the copyright and neighboring Rights Acts 2006, while Kayemba Solo’s attachment to the entertainment industry as an artiste manager and promoter is unquestionable.

Behind Closed Doors

This duo is alleged to have been representing the interests of parliament in the matter though it should also be noted that the deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa had earlier tasked Hon.Phiona  Nyamutoro, to oversee the matter to its rightful conclusion.

All this was going on in full knowledge that the matters pertaining to the amendment of the Copyright nitty-gritty had been technically taken over by the Uganda Law Reform Commission and Uganda Registration Services Bureau who organized four consultative meetings in Gulu, Mbale, Mbarara, and Kampala to sum up the four regions in the country.

The second camp was led by Daniel Kazibwe aka Ragga Dee, the National Cultural Forum honcho who also alleged that he was working in the interests of Operation Wealth Creation’s top bosses’ but was tasked to authenticate at least with a formal communication to the same at no avail.   

Power Struggles, Secret Meetings

The meetings later hit a dead end after the UNMF president decreed that he would only sit at a table with UMA and other entities without Mr. Geoffrey Ekongott aka Jeff.

In a split twist of events, Kenzo, later called for an emergency extraordinary delegate’s assembly that was held for two straight days at A’lure Hotel Mutundwe, attended by delegates from the 25 member Associations from all over the country. 

Though Kenzo, had tactfully prior indicated that the matter to be discussed was briefing them on what transpired in his discussion with the president, the ugly truth was that he was seeking a collective formula in which to incorporate the irate UMA.

 On the same day, the principal private secretary to the treasury Mr. Goobi Ramathan, revealed that the government was ready to fully capitalize on UNMF SACCO if they solved the few impediments/ oversights they had within the sector.  

Copyright Victory and Industry Unity

Kenzo informed the delegates that the president had advised him to unite the different sectors in the industry if the government was to come in and ‘help’ them, with a promise of meeting the combined united front at the earliest opportunity.

However, the tables would later turn in the UNMF’s favor during the final validation meeting of the copyright amendment held at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau between (URSB), the Uganda Law Reform Commission, the Attorney General Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, who then at the time promised that the draft bill would be presented to cabinet this week and the rest is now history.

With the assurance that the UNMF SACCO money was now a matter of when not how, Kenzo and his team have now gone into a celebratory mood.

And as if to confirm this, during the ‘reunion’ of BLU 3   that was held at the SKYZ hotel in Kampala, the UNMF president Eddie Kenzo and Sheeba Karungi, his vice were seen cheering Cinderella Sanyu the (UMA) president, a move that many a keen observer would state ‘ spoke positive results’.

UNMF’s Residency and Financial Tangles

It should be noted that for the past six months, the UNMF has been camped and booked in at the troubled  Alure Suites Hotel formerly Serene Suites Hote, located in Mutundwe Kampala, that is ‘ owned’ by one Esther Ampumuza who is also patron of UNMF.

The same hotel has previously been in the news over a string of loan issues from separate entities that included; Uganda Development Bank Shs 3.6 Bn in 2016, and Crane Bank/DFCU 600M among others.

At the hotel, UNMF has incurred huge bills to the tune of several billions that they must clear when ‘funding’ comes through and it is now being alleged that it is on top of their overhead priority lists.

On Tuesday this week, the weekly jam session was dedicated to veteran Kadongo Kamu singer Lord Fred Sebatta themed ‘ A Jam Session in Honor of the Legendary Lord Fred Sebatta’, who has been in his capacity riddled in financial duress.

This UNMF development has affirmed Kenzo’s dominance as the entertainment industry’s head honcho and that he has now assumed the old English adage of he who pays the piper calls the tune at the close of 2023 and surely he will still be the most sought-after personality in the industry for 2024.