For the first time, Bebe Cool is opening up about the behind-the-scenes conversations that led to the formation of the Uganda National Musicians Federation and why he ultimately walked away.
Speaking during an interview on Vibe Life YouTube with Eddy Sendi and Jenkins Mukasa, the veteran artist painted a picture of a movement that began with hope, trust, and a phone call from Eddy Kenzo.
“I was at home when Kenzo called me,” Bebe Cool revealed. Kenzo, he says, had been in discussions with General Saleh about forming a unifying body for artists but wasn’t confident fellow musicians would listen to him.
Kenzo gave him a shortlist of influential names and asked him to help bridge the gap particularly with Sheebah Karungi and Saha.
Bebe Cool didn’t hesitate. He recalls organizing a meeting at Torino, where he personally spoke to the artists, selling them on what he believed was a powerful, long-overdue idea.
“I saw it as a great idea,” he said. “People like Sheebah had never belonged anywhere, and I thought this was the perfect thing.”
But somewhere between the idea and execution, things shifted.
For Bebe Cool, the turning point came during the federation’s registration process, a detail he now describes as a deal breaker.
“If you tell me you are going to register a federation that is owned individually by three names Eddy Kenzo, Sheebah Karungi… — then it becomes yours to own and yours to run,” he said.
That realization changed everything. What had started as a collective dream began to feel, in his eyes, like a private entity disguised as a public cause.
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