In many ways, Pastor Wilson Bugembe is no ordinary preacher. Had he been, his recent event at Kampala Serena Hotel would have been dubbed a crusade. Except crusades seldom have a ticket charge, let alone billing it at Shs 150,000 for the ordinary slot.
Five days to the concert, he announced that ticket sales were closed. Not a common occurrence in Uganda’s entertainment industry, but so is Bugembe. Faced with this huge appetite for tickets, he had subsequently made provision for a Day 2 edition. That Edition too sold all the seats in just a matter of days.
When the lights came on in the Victoria Hall and a panga-wielding popular radio host Kasuku stood guard at the gates of heaven, before Bugembe introduced his 2012 hit song Biliba Bitya, nothing could best serve as a reminder of the attributes that set Bugembe a part not just as a storyteller but also entertainer through and through.
For the millennials old enough to recall the lyrics to Mukama Njagala Kumanya, the breakthrough song that handed Bugembe national appeal, or other titles on his long catalogue such as Kani, Ani or Bwalikujukira this was no surprise.
The theatrical showcase that had popular faces Amooti, Hanington Bujingo, Herbert Mendo ‘Sevo’, Zizinga re-enact the powerful message in Bili Bitya, had set stage for what would be an evening of enchanting entertainment, comedic performances and soul-lifting ministry. A befitting window into the 20 years that the Masaka-born preacher has churned out a rich and vast catalogue of music.
The two-decades buildup to success was not always guaranteed. Bugembe’s has been a thorny path, and perhaps it is from that hunger that he derives the grit.
Having lost both parents at a tender age, he grew up a bitter and empty kid. His elder sibling had succumbed to HIV/AIDS long before he (Bugembe) was born. As if that wasn’t enough, he would lose two more of his siblings to the same disease.
He has previously opened up on how his father lived life in duality – worshipping and praising in church on Sunday only to visit a witchdoctor on Monday. At the time, HIV was perceived more as a spiritual problem than a medical condition, which Bugembe attributes to the lack of public awareness.
“It (the disturbing irony that his dad lived) was one of the things that pushed me to seek Jesus at a young age,” he has said in a previously interview.
In 1999, a good Samaritan picked him up from the street along Bombo Road in Kampala where he had been living for at least 12 weeks after he fled Masaka. This Samaritan enrolled him at Highway College Makerere. The streets had been brutal to a young Bugembe so much so that he had contemplated taking his own life.
The frustrated boy had walked into a random office along Bombo Road seeking solace only for the office owner (a Pastor) to chase him claiming; “I don’t speak to street kids”.
“I thought to myself, ‘If a Pastor cannot help me, then nobody will’. To me, that was my door being closed on me for good. So, I ran into that busy road, running through cars so a car could knock me down.”
But a passerby noticed him and embraced him. This stranger would stop a taxi and ask the conductor to take Bugembe to Trumpet Centre, a ministry that was run by Pastor John W. Mulinde in the heart of Kampala CBD. From church, he found a sponsor who owned a school in Makerere where he joined S2.
Over the weekend, Bugembe relived many of the weighty moments that punctuated his journey to becoming a national asset, many of which are engrained in his lyrics.
When he performed Yellow, for many in the audience, this was just another of many songs that never blew to the heights of his more acclaimed titles. Except it is no ordinary song. On Yellow, his debut song, Bugembe narrates the origin of the monicker he earned as a street kid who wore only one shirt whose colour was yellow.
On Saturday, just like the day before, the music concert dubbed 20 Years of Pastor Wilson Bugembe took a rather varied tempo, opening on a high and climaxing with a spirited performance of Wanaaza which Uganda’s popular globe-trotting dance group, Ghetto Kids lent their signature euphoric choreography. In between, there were sessions where Bugembe slowed the rhythm to lead worship and ministry.
On Day One, the Katikiro of Buganda Kingdom, Charles Peter Mayiga sat through the lively set of performances that featured what seemed like a deliberate attempt by the Bamuyita Yesu singer to pay tribute to a Kingdom he pays allegiance to.
“Pastor Wilson Bugembe has done a remarkable job shepherding so many people and guiding them on the right path,” the Katikiro said in his remarks.
Clad in the Buganda traditional wear – a kanzu complete with a black blazer with a touch of kikooyi – Bugembe churned out a set of his songs riding on a Bakisimba rhythm. A troupe of dancers provided a lively backdrop to a theatre-style session during which the singer narrated to Dr. Sam Bagenda (Dr. Bbosa) and Annet Nandujja his “rare” and “fulfilling” experience when he performed for Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi. An outstanding storyteller, Bugembe has mastered the art of weaving real-life experiences that he fuses with his lyrics to testify of God’s grace upon him.
The concert drew a demographic of all shades – singers, comics, civil servants, popular pastors, traditional healers, corporates and the like.
In a message delivered by State Minister for Mineral Development, Phiona Nyamutooro, President Yoweri Museveni hailed Bugembe for his charitable acts.
“Christianity helped our people (Africans) adopt healthy lifestyles and they embraced education through missionary schools. It (Christianity) ushered in positive transformation. A relevant ministry must also encourage Christians to work towards economic prosperity. We cannot see spiritual light yet stay in economic darkness. Even Jesus worked alongside his father Joseph the carpenter. This is what all Christians should emulate,” part of the President’s message read.
Flanked by her Grammy-nominated boyfriend (Eddy Kenzo), Nyamutooro whom Bugembe revealed was “part of my flock before she crossed paths with Kenzo” said despite having been asked at last minute to represent the President, “there’s no way I would face God tomorrow if I had said No”.
“You are a blessing to our country and I am blessed to know you in person,” the Minister told Bugembe.
The President contributed Shs 20m to support the ongoing construction of the Nansana-based The Worship House, a drive that was also given a boost by the Commissioner Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), John Musinguzi Rujoki, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwiine, Pastor Aloysius Bujingo among other well-wishers that attended the show.
From a membership of 9 students, Bugembe included, that congregated under a mango tree in Nansana over two decades ago, the now towering structure that has become one of the key landmarks of the bustling township is symbolic of the resilience that has led Bugembe here.
At one point, the 5,000-seater structure (held together by wooden pillars) that his dream had morphed into was home to the popular Celebrity Sunday (a Sunday where numerous celebrities came to church). A trend for which the young spiritual leader was vilified by several Pentecostal pastors who viewed this characteristic as too secular. That, along with his association with Sophia Namutebi alias Mama Fina, a self-confessed traditional healer, is part of the hefty price Bugembe has had to pay for his liberal stance towards ministry.
In a 2015 interview, Bugembe said during one of the Celebrity Sunday editions, Kato Lubwama, the conservative actor and radio host who died in 2023, confessed that until he visited Light the World (as the church was known back then), he had not been to church in 15 years.
“And that’s why I am here. If you are a pastor that doesn’t welcome people, then you’re like a hospital that has everything in it but chases the sick people away,” Bugembe said in the same interview.
To date, Bugembe has managed to draw a big chunk of secular artistes to The Worship House. This same character explains why through his 20-year music career, he has managed to collaborate with a cross-section of personalities – from Leila Kachapizo, Jose Chameleone, Amooti Omubalanguzi, Bobi Wine, Paddy Bitama, Kato Lubwama, Navio, Chris Evans, Gravity Omutujju, Lydia Jazmine among so many others. In a world increasingly characterized by conflict, intrigue and a zero-sum worldview, Bugembe’s effort in neutralizing this energy is one that deserves commendation.
Concert goers have in recent years adopted a rather unforgiving stance towards headlining acts that are lacklustre. Gone are the days when singing off-key was just but a footnote that rarely made it to mainstream conversations. A combination of a woke culture, citizen journalism and the fastidious nature of today’s entertainment consumer, have meant that concerts are more than just how well the stage is lit or which acts are lined up.
Arguably one of the artistes who fit the bill, Bugembe left no room for apprehension. His parable-style songwriting prowess has endeared him to people across all demographics. This style, he says, is rooted in his admiration of how Jesus packaged his message in the Bible. There were moments during the show when he gave cues to the crew on the backline, to change the key to his preferred pitch. In an industry where a good number of singers pay attention to everything else apart from the basics of music, the few that still do deserve to be protected at all costs. Backed by a team with whom Bugembe does praise and worship at church also meant the sequence and harmony were in lockstep.
Fenon who did the production delivered befitting stage aesthetics.
On both nights, the spotlight was as much on Bugembe as it was on some of the artistes he has collaborated with. He shared the stage with Jose Chamelone, Nina Roz, Coopybly, Mesarch Semakula, Lydia Jazmine, Chris Evans, Maureen Nantume, Justine Nabbosa among others.
He was also joined by the recently famed Streams of Life (a youthful Seventh Day Adventist choir) whose 2024 single Lukusuuta made it to Bebe Cool’s List of 2024 hit songs. On Gwe Katonda (a duet with Bugembe), the choir, whose poetic writing style has a lot in common with Bugembe’s, sings of God’s supernatural attributes. Their performance prompted a rousing applause from the audience, affirming how much the market continues to warm up to their craft.
Another highlight of the twin concert was the dramatic effect with which Bugembe delivered Mpangira, a story set in school where Bugembe is infatuated by a girl whom he can’t quite seem to gather the guts to express his true feelings to. Nothing could have prepared the audience for the drama with which Bugembe, dressed in typical school shorts, together with an ensemble featuring Rema Namakula, Kapele, Evelyn Namulondo, Allan Cruz, Kaleela among other TikTokers, would piece the performance together.
On the final day, Jose Chamelone joined the Pastor to perform Miracle, testifying how as a young sickly child, he was carried by his mom on the back and taken to Lugogo Cricket Oval where American evangelist Pastor T.L. Osborn was holding a crusade.
At age 5, Chameleone had been suffering asthma, a condition he got at a very early stage. His father used to ride a scooter and a little Joseph always sat in between his legs. He has previously said he suspects that’s how he became asthmatic “because the first attack was recorded while on that scooter”.
“You know, God’s glory cannot be hidden. God is good all the time. If God does a miracle for you, give the glory back to Him. I go through a lot of trials like all of you know. But God has been gracious. Recently, when I fell sick, God revealed to me that he had been planning my end, but I had unfinished business, so he redeemed me,” the Mama Mia singer told concertgoers.
“God has never publicized himself on billboards and He never will. You and I who have witnessed His miracles are His billboards,” he added before performing Tubonge.
