What began as funny facial expressions, energetic dances and viral comedy skits has now spiralled into a painful family dispute over money, ownership and the future of one of Uganda’s biggest child content creators.
For years, Ugandans watched young internet sensation Saad Ssozi, popularly known as Tenge Tenge, rise from an ordinary child with humorous mannerisms into a global online phenomenon.
His signature wide-eyed comedy, dance clips and expressive reactions turned him into one of Uganda’s most recognisable digital exports, helping him amass over 4.26 million YouTube subscribers and more than 1.6 billion views.
But behind the laughter and viral fame, the family now says a bitter fallout with former manager Michael Kabonge has left them struggling financially and fighting to regain control of the empire built around the young star.
Tenge Tenge, together with his father, has publicly accused Kabonge of confiscating their digital platforms following disagreements over revenue sharing and account ownership.
Speaking during a YouTube interview, the family claimed the manager took control of their social media accounts after misunderstandings emerged regarding transparency in earnings generated through the channels.
According to Tenge Tenge’s father, the fallout began after they started questioning how revenue from the hugely successful YouTube platform was being shared.
Despite Tenge Tenge’s massive popularity online, the family alleges they were receiving surprisingly small payouts, sometimes below $200, money they claim would still be shared between both parties.
For a child whose content attracted billions of views worldwide, the family says the returns simply did not add up.
“Manager Michael Kabonge took over all the social media accounts, claiming they belong to him, and even tried to change the channel names,” Tenge Tenge’s father alleged.
He further claimed that about three years ago, after tensions escalated and the family attempted to part ways with the manager over suspicions of dishonesty, they received Shs27 million, something they now believe may have been intended to ease growing frustrations.
The family says that since then, they have struggled to understand the actual performance of the platforms.
According to the father, Kabonge has allegedly continued insisting that the YouTube channel is no longer generating substantial revenue, despite the creator’s enduring online visibility and continued audience engagement.
“Sometimes we fail to raise school fees for Tenge Tenge, yet he is one of the biggest influencers in Uganda,” the father said emotionally.
“That is why we want Michael to return the accounts so we can get someone else to manage them fairly.”
For Tenge Tenge himself, the dispute appears deeply personal.
After years of internet fame and global recognition, the young content creator says he feels he has little to show for the success many people assume translated into financial stability.
“All the time I have spent trending, I honestly have nothing substantial to show for it,” he said.
The accusations have since sparked wider conversations online about the protection of child creators, digital contracts and financial transparency within Uganda’s rapidly growing influencer economy.
As social media increasingly creates young million-view stars, questions continue to emerge about who truly owns digital platforms, especially when creators are minors and managers establish accounts on their behalf.
Meanwhile, the family says lawyers are now stepping in to help determine rightful ownership and possibly recover the accounts.
On the other side, Kabonge reportedly maintains that he created the accounts and therefore has ownership rights over them.
For now, what once looked like a Ugandan digital success story is increasingly becoming a cautionary tale about fame, trust and the complicated business behind viral stardom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKabSOgpmLI
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