By Staff Reporter
Police say veteran Afrigo Band musician Moses Matovu was fatally injured during a confrontation at about 5:30 a.m. in Kibuli, while a woman who was with him has been arrested and a male suspect is being pursued.
KAMPALA, UGANDA — Police have provided new details surrounding the death of veteran Afrigo Band musician Moses Matovu, saying preliminary investigations indicate that the 77-year-old musician was involved in a physical confrontation shortly after leaving the residence of a woman identified as Rose Tumusime in Kibuli, Kampala.
Matovu was seriously injured during the early-morning incident on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at Kibuli Market Zone B in Makindye Division. He was rushed to Kibuli Hospital by a boda boda rider but later died from his injuries.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said the incident occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m., when Matovu and the woman were allegedly leaving the residence.
According to police, they were confronted by a male suspect who is believed to have previously been in a relationship with the woman.
Kawala said investigators were treating the case as a suspected murder and had launched a manhunt for the male suspect, who police said had been identified but was believed to have fled the scene.
The woman who was with Matovu has also been arrested and is assisting investigators.
“Preliminary information indicates that the incident may have resulted from a physical fight. The exact circumstances surrounding the confrontation, however, are yet to be fully established,” Kawala said, according to Daily Monitor.
The police account represents a significant development from the first reports that Matovu had simply been attacked by unknown assailants while heading for morning prayers.
What happened at about 5:30 a.m.?
Police say Matovu went to the residence of a woman identified as Rose in the early hours of Thursday.
As he and the woman allegedly left the residence, they encountered another man whom investigators believe had previously been in a relationship with the woman.
A confrontation followed.
Police have not yet established publicly what triggered the confrontation, who initiated the physical altercation or exactly how Matovu sustained his fatal injuries.
Kawala said investigators were working to reconstruct the sequence of events and gather evidence from the scene.
The male suspect is believed to have fled after the confrontation.
Police have since begun efforts to locate him and establish his role in the death.
The woman, identified in several reports as Rose Tumusime, remains in police custody while investigators question her and establish what happened before, during and after the confrontation. Daily Monitor reported that she was taken back to the scene as part of the ongoing investigation.
It is important to note that being arrested does not mean that Tumusime has been found guilty of any offence. Her detention is part of the investigative process, and police have not publicly accused her of causing Matovu’s death.
Boda boda rider rushed Matovu to hospital
After the confrontation, Matovu was left with serious injuries.
A boda boda rider who helped transport him to hospital said the musician was in critical condition when he was taken from the scene.
According to an account published by Eagle Online, the rider, identified as Paul, said he helped carry Matovu and rush him to Kibuli Hospital.
“I helped carry him and we rushed him to Kibuli Hospital because he was in a very bad condition. We hoped he would survive, but unfortunately he later died,” Paul said.
The account provides additional information about the moments immediately after the alleged confrontation, but police have not publicly confirmed every detail contained in the witness account.
Investigators are expected to compare witness statements with physical evidence recovered from the scene.
Police recover evidence at the scene
Detectives investigating Matovu’s death have examined the area around Kibuli Market Zone B for evidence that could help establish what happened.
Daily Monitor reported that police recovered several exhibits, including a concrete paver, while bloodstains were observed near Matovu’s vehicle.
Investigators have also been working to establish the movements of Matovu, the woman who accompanied him and the male suspect before and after the confrontation.
Such evidence could help investigators determine the sequence of events and whether the injuries were caused during a physical fight or through the use of an object.
Police have not publicly confirmed the weapon used, if any, and have not disclosed the full forensic findings.
The investigation therefore remains active.
Police initially described the attackers as unknown
The latest police account differs from the first information released following Matovu’s death.
In the initial statement, police said Matovu had been attacked by unknown assailants at Kibuli Market Zone B.
Kawala said Kabalagala Police Station had opened a suspected murder case and deployed a task team to investigate.
“Our task team is currently at the scene conducting investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. Efforts are also underway to identify and apprehend the suspected assailants,” she said in the initial police account.
At that stage, police had not publicly established a motive, the number of attackers or the circumstances that preceded the assault.
The subsequent investigation appears to have narrowed the focus to a confrontation involving Matovu, Tumusime and another man.
Police have cautioned that the findings remain preliminary.
Conflicting early accounts
The circumstances surrounding Matovu’s final movements have generated different accounts.
Some of the earliest reports indicated that the veteran musician was attacked while on his way to Kibuli Mosque for morning prayers, a routine that friends said he followed.
Richard Lule, who described himself as a friend of Matovu, told local media that the musician regularly went for early morning prayers at Kibuli Mosque. Daily Monitor also reported that preliminary information initially suggested Matovu had been attacked while making his way to the mosque.
Other accounts have since focused on the reported confrontation outside a woman’s residence.
Police have not said that the mosque-related account was deliberately false. Rather, investigators are working to establish the precise sequence of events surrounding Matovu’s movements that morning.
The differences demonstrate why investigators are relying on witness statements, physical evidence and other investigative methods before reaching conclusions.
Male suspect being pursued
According to police, the male suspect has been identified and is believed to have fled the scene.
Kawala said investigators were working to apprehend him and establish the circumstances that led to the confrontation.
Daily Monitor reported that preliminary information suggested the man may work for a private security company, although Kawala stressed that this information had not yet been fully verified.
Police have not publicly named the suspect.
Authorities are also yet to announce whether the suspect has been arrested or whether charges have been filed against anyone in connection with Matovu’s death.
The distinction is important because investigators must establish individual responsibility through evidence before prosecution.
Government mourns music icon
Matovu’s death has triggered widespread mourning across Uganda’s music industry and among his fans.
Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara called on security agencies to identify and bring those responsible to justice.
“I appeal to our joint security agencies to do everything possible, as always, to identify, apprehend and bring to justice those responsible for this heinous act,” Barugahara said.
The minister described Matovu as an important figure in Uganda’s cultural history and said his death represented a major loss to the country’s music industry.
“Uganda’s music industry has lost a true legend whose contribution to our culture and music will remain unforgettable,” Barugahara said.
His comments reflect the wider national reaction to the death of a musician whose career stretched across several generations.
Who was Moses Matovu?
Moses Matovu was one of the most influential figures in Uganda’s live-band music tradition.
Born in Kawempe, Kampala, on June 19, 1949, Matovu entered professional music in the 1960s.
He performed with several musical groups before becoming one of the founding members of Afrigo Band in 1975.
The group went on to become one of Uganda’s longest-running and most influential live bands.
Matovu served in several capacities during his long career, including as a bandleader, saxophonist, vocalist, composer and arranger.
His contribution helped keep Uganda’s live-band tradition alive during periods when musical tastes were changing rapidly.
He was also recognised for his discipline and leadership within Afrigo Band.
By the time of his death, Matovu had spent nearly six decades in the music industry.
Afrigo Band celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, underlining the extraordinary length of the institution Matovu helped build.
A career spanning generations
Matovu’s importance to Uganda’s music history goes beyond his role as a performer.
He belonged to a generation of musicians who helped establish the live-band culture that dominated Uganda’s entertainment scene for decades.
His career included periods with the Police Band and Cranes Band before the formation of Afrigo.
Through Afrigo Band, Matovu worked with musicians from different generations and helped introduce younger performers to the discipline and traditions of live music.
His saxophone playing, vocals and compositions contributed to the band’s distinctive identity.
His death therefore represents not only the loss of an individual musician but also the passing of one of the prominent figures associated with an important era in Uganda’s cultural history.
Investigation remains ongoing
Police have urged the public to allow investigators to complete their work and avoid spreading unverified claims about the circumstances of Matovu’s death.
The investigation is expected to focus on several key questions, including what happened at the residence before Matovu and the woman left, what triggered the confrontation, how Matovu sustained his injuries and what happened immediately afterwards.
Investigators will also need to establish the precise role, if any, played by each person present at the scene.
Forensic evidence, witness accounts and statements from the people involved could become important in determining what happened.
Kawala said police were doing everything within their means to identify, arrest and bring the responsible suspect to justice.
Until the investigation is completed, allegations surrounding the motive and circumstances should not be treated as established facts.
Broader concerns over violence
Matovu’s death has also renewed concern about violence and personal disputes in communities.
Regardless of the eventual findings, the case highlights the potentially serious consequences of physical confrontations and the importance of resolving disputes without violence.
For Uganda’s entertainment industry, the death has been particularly painful because Matovu remained active and influential well into his later years.
His passing has prompted tributes from government officials, musicians, colleagues and members of the public who grew up listening to Afrigo Band.
The investigation will now determine whether the incident was the result of a spontaneous confrontation, a targeted attack or another sequence of events.
Conclusion
The death of Moses Matovu has moved from an initially unclear attack involving unknown assailants to a more focused police investigation centred on an alleged early-morning confrontation in Kibuli.
Police say Matovu was at the residence of Rose Tumusime at about 5:30 a.m. on September 24 before the pair allegedly encountered a man who had previously been in a relationship with the woman.
A physical confrontation followed, leaving Matovu seriously injured. He was taken to Kibuli Hospital by a boda boda rider but later died.
Tumusime has been arrested to assist with investigations, while police say the male suspect has been identified and is believed to have fled.
However, authorities have stressed that the exact circumstances remain under investigation.
As detectives reconstruct Matovu’s final hours, the veteran musician’s death leaves Uganda mourning one of the defining figures of its live-band tradition.
For nearly six decades, Matovu helped shape the country’s musical landscape through his work with Afrigo Band. The task now before investigators is to establish, through evidence rather than speculation, exactly what happened in Kibuli and ensure that anyone found responsible is held accountable under the law.
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