Uganda's infamous 'Nyege Nyege' festival banned by Parliament

The Speaker of the Ugandan House of Parliament Anita Among stated during a plenary sitting on Tuesday that the House “will not permit the event to take place.”

“We are discussing the morality of this nation; we are discussing our kids. You want to advance tourism at the expense of our kids, right? We won’t permit this activity to take place,” Among declared.

According to one Ugandan parliamentarian, Tororo Woman MP Hon Sarah Opendi, "Nyege Nyege" is a 'breeding ground for sexual immorality'. 

Her submission, however, had quickly been deflected by the Minister of State for Tourism Hon Martin Mugarra who noted that the event is “a hub of tourism” with over 8,000 foreign tourists having already booked tickets for the event.

The 2022 edition of the Nyege Nyege Festival was to be held on the banks of the Nile river, at Itanda Falls, a venue some five times larger than the previous home, which was also in the Jinja area.

Normally, the festival focuses attention on electronic music scenes across Africa, alongside sounds from the global diaspora and others. 

In total, 300 names were slated to play across seven stages, including MC Yallah, Otim Alpha, Kampire, Phatstoki, MC Aunty Rayzor and DJ Travella. 

Legendary Cameroonian crooner Eko Roosevelt was also billed to perform with a 15-piece band to mark his 80th birthday. 

In the past, many stakeholders have criticised the event since its inception for encouraging 'homosexuality and sexual immorality.' 

In 2018, Father Simon Lokodo, the deceased former Ethics Minister also requested that the event be cancelled claiming that it promoted homosexuality and moral decay.