Veteran Ugandan musician Moses Matovu, a founding member and longtime leader of Afrigo Band, has died aged 77 after sustaining injuries in an attack in Kampala. Matovu died at Kibuli Hospital on Thursday, September 24, after being injured during an early morning incident in Kibuli Market Zone B in Makindye Division, Ugandan police confirmed. Police are investigating the death as a murder and are pursuing a male suspect believed to have fled the scene. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said a woman who was with Matovu at the time had been arrested and was assisting investigators. According to an updated police account reported by Daily Monitor and Nile Post, Matovu had visited the woman’s residence at around 5:30am. Police said the two were leaving the residence when they encountered a man who was believed to have previously been in a relationship with the woman. Kawala said investigators suspect a physical confrontation followed, although the exact circumstances surrounding Matovu’s fatal injuries have not yet been established. A motorcycle rider took him to Kibuli Hospital, where he later died. Police said they had identified the male suspect and were working to locate him. Investigators are also examining evidence recovered from the scene. Initial reports suggested that Matovu had been attacked while on his way to a mosque for morning prayers. The subsequent police account pointed instead to a possible confrontation outside a residence, although authorities stressed that their findings remain preliminary. A career spanning nearly six decades Born on June 19, 1949, in Kawempe, Kampala, Matovu began his musical journey as a chorister at Namirembe Cathedral before turning professional in 1967. He first performed with the Thunderbirds Band before joining the Police Band in 1968 and the Cranes Band a year later. After the Cranes Band disbanded in 1975, he joined fellow musicians to establish Afrigo Band, which went on to become one of Uganda’s longest-running musical groups. Matovu remained a central figure in the band for five decades, serving as its leader, vocalist, composer and saxophonist. Afrigo Band became known for blending Congolese rumba with Ugandan traditional rhythms and other musical influences. Its popular songs include Jim, Obangaina, Maria, Speed, Afrigo Batuuse and Amazzi Genyama. Matovu also composed songs such as Nantongo, Genda Osome, Teri Mubi and Emiziro. The band released its 23rd album, Teri Mubi, in October 2019. Afrigo Band also performed internationally, including in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and several other countries outside Africa. In August 2025, the group marked its 50th anniversary with a concert at Millennium Grounds in Lugogo, Kampala, attended by thousands of fans. Congolese music star Koffi Olomide was among the performers at the celebration, which also saw the launch of a book documenting Afrigo Band’s history. Matovu performed saxophone solos as the group revisited some of its best-known songs.
