Eddy Kenzo speaks out on Bebe Cool creatives’ payment row – Sqoop

Singer Eddy Kenzo has broken his silence on the growing dispute between Bebe Cool and a group of creatives who claim they have not been paid for work done during the recent presidential campaigns.

The dispute has played out publicly in recent days, with several artists, bloggers and other creatives who worked under Bebe Cool coming forward to demand payment for their services during the campaign period.

Kenzo, who headed a separate team of creatives during the campaigns, has sympathised with those raising complaints, saying their contribution to the campaign deserved to be recognised and rewarded.

According to Kenzo, he personally worked alongside some of the creatives and witnessed the effort they put into the campaign as they travelled across the country.

“We worked with those children and moved with them across the entire country. Personally, it hurts me to see them complaining because they worked for our president and did a good job,” Kenzo said.

Despite his sympathy, Kenzo said he was not prepared to directly intervene in the dispute because of the history between him and Bebe Cool.

He explained that the fact that the creatives were operating under a different team during the campaigns limits his ability to take up the matter informally.

Kenzo, however, said he would be willing to offer guidance if the affected creatives formally brought their concerns to him in his capacity as a presidential adviser on creatives.

“The fact that I was not in that camp means I cannot intervene. Unless they come and report to me officially in my office as a senior presidential advisor. Maybe then I can advise them but I haven’t received any official complaint. Whatever it is, we shall see how it ends because we are here,” he said.

The comments come against the backdrop of a long-running strained relationship between Kenzo and Bebe Cool, which has previously played out publicly within Uganda’s music industry.

Kenzo acknowledged that the two have had disagreements in the past but suggested that there was no need to carry the differences indefinitely.

The pair recently found themselves at the same place during the vigil of the late cultural icon Alex Mukulu, where Kenzo said they exchanged greetings and went their separate ways.

Describing himself as a peacemaker, Kenzo said the encounter was a sign that despite their past differences, they can still maintain civility.

The payment dispute involving the creatives, meanwhile, continues to generate discussion within Uganda’s entertainment industry, with attention now focused on whether the parties will resolve the matter privately or whether it will escalate further.