Ugandan singer King Saha was physically assaulted by revellers in Ibanda district, western Uganda, after he turned his performance into a political statement.
The incident took place at Kanuzire Food Hub, where King Saha had been scheduled to perform for the grand opening ceremony.
According to witnesses, the performance started smoothly, but things took a turn when Saha began mixing politics with his music. Midway through his set, the singer began promoting the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Bobi Wine’s message, which sparked anger among the predominantly NRM-supporting crowd. Ibanda is known as a stronghold for the National Resistance Movement and President Yoweri Museveni.
As tensions rose, local police intervened, quickly whisking Saha and his team away before the situation escalated further.
Before the political comments triggered the chaos, Saha had already faced challenges with the sound system. Describing it as “worse than a broken radio in a taxi,” he struggled with technical difficulties that made the performance even more frustrating.
The speakers responded with a harsh screech, followed by awkward silences, and at one point, when Saha attempted to sing his hit song Very Well, the system malfunctioned, producing a sound more akin to Very Bad
. “Even a village birthday party deserves better sound than this,” he grumbled, resorting to shouting the lyrics acapella.
Just when Saha thought things couldn’t get worse, the political commentary pushed the crowd over the edge. Shouting “Change is coming!”—a nod to the opposition—Saha was met with silence, only for bottles to be hurled in his direction. “Who threw that?” he asked, but was soon pelted with food scraps and disposable items.
The crowd made it clear they were not in the mood for political debates, especially in an area that strongly supported the ruling party. Saha quickly realized that what people were interested in wasn’t political change but extra servings of fried pork.
Adding to the irony, Saha, a devout Muslim, was performing at a pork joint during the holy month of Ramadan, making the situation even more absurd. Observers noted, “Even Allah might be shaking his head at this one!”
With the situation spiraling out of control, Saha made a quick exit, dodging flying objects and narrowly avoiding a flying saucepan. His security team quickly intervened to help him leave safely, though reports suggest he may have left behind one of his signature dreadlocks in the scuffle.
Despite the drama, Kanuzire Food Hub is still in business, with the management pledging two things,an upgraded sound system and a strict no politics plolicy
As for King Saha, he has reportedly decided to carefully vet his future performance venues, placing a strong emphasis on both the political atmosphere and sound quality before stepping on stage again.
