Singer Moses Ssali alias Bebe Cool has warned the Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF), led by Edrisa Musuuza alias Eddy Kenzo, against poor accountability in the management of government funds for musicians, warning that the federation will eventually be required to account for every shilling.
Bebe Cool said the federation must first be properly structured before it can effectively manage the billions of shillings being channelled into the creative industry under government support programmes.
He made the remarks on Friday during an interview in which he revisited ongoing debates about governance and funding within the musicians' umbrella body.
He said the biggest challenge facing the federation is not the availability of money, but the systems used to manage it once it is released to artists’ structures.
“By keeping artists together, that’s the starting point. You first need to organise the federation until the point when all artists will be under it,” he said.
Bebe Cool warned that handling government funds comes with long-term responsibility, regardless of when accountability is demanded.
“But I must remind you that when you receive government money, at a certain point you have to account for it,” he said.
He added that many players underestimate the scrutiny that eventually follows the use of public resources within organised groups.
“It might not be in Museveni’s time, but at a certain time you will have to,” he said.
The singer, who previously served in a financial role within the federation’s early structuring efforts, said he resigned over disagreements on how the system should be organised.
“When I was heading the federation’s finance, to avoid all that, that’s why I resigned because I thought we would do it in a structured way,” he said.
He insisted that his preference was a federation built on clear representation from existing musicians’ associations rather than individual influence.
“I knew the first structure was associations and representation from each association at the federation, and that decisions must be made by the representatives,” he said.
The Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) was formed in 2023 as the umbrella body for musicians and creatives, bringing together different associations under one structure to coordinate industry development and access to funding.
It has since become a key channel for government support to the creative sector, including SACCO-based financing programmes targeting artists across the country.
However, questions around transparency and fund distribution have continued to surface within the industry, with some artists expressing concerns over access and accountability.
Government has over the years injected billions of shillings into the creative sector through structured financing models intended to formalise and support creative enterprises.
Despite the funding push, debates continue within the industry over governance, and system issues in managing the growing resources directed to musicians and creative groups.