KAMPALA, Uganda — Moses Matovu, the singer, saxophonist and long-serving leader of Afrigo Band, died on Thursday, 24 September 2026, after an attack in Kibuli, Kampala. Uganda Police said unidentified assailants attacked him at Kibuli Market Zone B in Makindye Division before he was taken to Kibuli Hospital, where he died.
Kabalagala Police registered the case as suspected murder. Investigators were at the scene and working to identify and arrest the attackers. Police had not announced an arrest or disclosed a motive by 9:12 AM EAT.
Uganda Police said unidentified assailants attacked Afrigo Band leader Moses Matovu in Kibuli on the morning of 24 September 2026. He was taken to Kibuli Hospital, where he died. Police opened a suspected-murder case and began searching for the attackers; no motive or arrest had been announced.
Police open a murder investigation
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said Matovu was attacked on Thursday morning. The police account carried by HiPipo said a task team had been deployed to establish the circumstances and apprehend the assailants.
Uganda Radio Network and The Observer independently reported the death and investigation, both attributing the core account to police. Daily Monitor also reported the death on Thursday morning.
Some early reports offered extra details about where Matovu was going before the attack and how he was injured. Police had not confirmed all of those details by the update time.
The established position is that he was attacked in Kibuli, taken to hospital and died, while investigators were still working to determine the sequence, motive and identity of those responsible.
Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara called on security agencies to identify and prosecute the killers. His response, reported by Pulse Uganda, added an official government reaction but did not resolve the unanswered investigative questions.
JUSTICE & CRIME
Afrigo Band Leader Killed in Kampala
Sep 24, 2026
Sep 24, 2026
4 min read
Published
Updated:
KAMPALA, Uganda — Moses Matovu, the singer, saxophonist and long-serving leader of Afrigo Band, died on Thursday, 24 September 2026, after an attack in Kibuli, Kampala. Uganda Police said unidentified assailants attacked him at Kibuli Market Zone B in Makindye Division before he was taken to Kibuli Hospital, where he died.
Kabalagala Police registered the case as suspected murder. Investigators were at the scene and working to identify and arrest the attackers. Police had not announced an arrest or disclosed a motive by 9:12 AM EAT.
Uganda Police said unidentified assailants attacked Afrigo Band leader Moses Matovu in Kibuli on the morning of 24 September 2026. He was taken to Kibuli Hospital, where he died. Police opened a suspected-murder case and began searching for the attackers; no motive or arrest had been announced.
Police open a murder investigation
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said Matovu was attacked on Thursday morning. The police account carried by HiPipo said a task team had been deployed to establish the circumstances and apprehend the assailants.
Uganda Radio Network and The Observer independently reported the death and investigation, both attributing the core account to police. Daily Monitor also reported the death on Thursday morning.
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Some early reports offered extra details about where Matovu was going before the attack and how he was injured. Police had not confirmed all of those details by the update time.
The established position is that he was attacked in Kibuli, taken to hospital and died, while investigators were still working to determine the sequence, motive and identity of those responsible.
Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara called on security agencies to identify and prosecute the killers. His response, reported by Pulse Uganda, added an official government reaction but did not resolve the unanswered investigative questions.
Matovu, widely known as Papa Moi, was born on 19 June 1949 and was 77. He entered professional music in the late 1960s, performing with the Thunderbirds, Police Band and Cranes Band before helping form Afrigo Band in 1975.
He became the group’s leader, vocalist, composer and saxophonist. Across five decades, Afrigo survived political upheaval, changing performance venues, the loss or departure of members and repeated shifts in Uganda’s popular-music market.
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The band marked its 50th anniversary in 2025. Uganda’s Government Citizen Interaction Centre described Afrigo’s five decades as a story of resilience and continuing relevance. Matovu remained central to that story, performing with younger musicians and sustaining a live-band tradition that connected several generations.
XTRAfrica’s Moses Matovu music page and Afrigo Band catalogue page document the artist and group separately. The band also nurtured recognised performers including Joanita Kawalya, whose career became closely associated with Afrigo’s sound.
Matovu received several lifetime-achievement honours. HiPipo recognised him in 2021 for a career that had helped shape Uganda’s music industry. He was also honoured by the Janzi Awards and other Ugandan entertainment institutions.
His importance was larger than any one trophy. He helped keep a professional band operating over an unusually long period, protected the value of rehearsal and live instrumentation, and created room for new singers and instrumentalists to join an established institution.
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Afrigo’s catalogue combined Ugandan languages and rhythms with rumba, jazz and other regional influences. The group’s continuity made it a reference point for later artists, while its performances retained an audience that crossed age groups.
What investigators must establish next
The immediate unanswered questions concern the number of attackers, the weapon used, the motive and whether anyone has been arrested. Police said more information would be shared as the investigation progressed.
Matovu’s death leaves Afrigo Band facing the transition its long-serving leader had spent years preparing it to survive. The investigation will determine the legal facts of his final hours; his public legacy already rests on nearly six decades of performance and five decades of Afrigo.
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