The Gen Z Comedy show, held on July 10 at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Centre (KCEV), had the audience in stitches with performances from local comedians and the Ugandan comedy sensation Teacher Mpamire, who headlined the event. He spiced up his act with rib-cracking jokes, bringing back his popular comic character that impersonates Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Teacher Mpamire talks comedy, career realities, Kigali show In his signature style, Mpamire stepped to the stage carrying classic teacher props—books, sticks, a chalkboard, and more, while cracking jokes about the Nigerian movies that were once wildly popular, playfully pointing out how their headlines always made the plots easy to guess. He went on to make jokes about Gen Z, comparing the group across East Africa. “When you mention Gen Z in the region, people think of Kenya, where protests have erupted over demands they say are being ignored. But in Rwanda, Gen Z comes together for laughter instead of riots,” he said, attributing this to good governance. Before Teacher Mpamire, local comedians stormed the stage with unpredictable jokes and unique styles. Among them were Kadudu, one of the few regular female performers known jokes associated with life realities of her birth community in Gicumbi and Dudu from Nyagatare, who humorously narrates stories about his family. As he took a break, US-based Rwandan national Murenzi Kamatari appeared as the “Meet Me Tonight” guest. He talked about the upcoming Kigali Streetball 2025 (KG Str Ball), set for July 19–20. The event will showcase Rwanda’s street culture, combining basketball, music, art, and dance. Back on stage, Teacher Mpamire continued to delight the crowd with jokes in his Museveni character. As Museveni, he joked about meeting President Paul Kagame years back and praised Rwanda’s transformation and youth creativity. He humorously touched on his long presidency, saying when asked when he would step down, he responded, “When will Jesus return?”, drawing big laughs. Next up was Pirate, who performed with his creative “teacher style”, sharing life hacks and funny observations. For instance, he joked about just learning that “Al Shabab” means “youth”, so technically, everyone in the room was “Al Shabab”. The show concluded with Umushuma, a crowd favorite, who wrapped up the night in his signature hilarious style. Born Herbert Mendo Ssegujja, Teacher Mpamire is famous for his comical impersonation of President Museveni. He holds a Bachelor of Education from Makerere University and teaches at Standard High School in Zana, Uganda, while maintaining an active comedy career that has taken him to stages in Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and beyond.
