The Vumbula Uganda Festival, once trusted as a vibrant celebration of arts and culture, has left a bitter taste for both its organisers and attendees.
What was meant to be a lively three-day event from May 31 and ended on June 3, 2024 at Nile Nest Resort in Njeru Municipality quickly descended into chaos, as promises went unmet and service providers were left unpaid.
The event, which attracted over 1,500 revelers, is now remembered for its broken agreements rather than the artistic showcase it was supposed to be.
The situation led to the arrest and detention of three major organisers at Njeru police station.
Despite the Ssezibwa Regional Police Commander, Hellen Butoto confirming the arrest and detention of three event organisers of Vumbula Uganda, the organisers claim the move portrayed their brand negatively.
The organisers, who had been working to build a reputable brand for five years, now find themselves grappling with the fallout, an arrest, a tarnished reputation, and the growing threat of legal action.
Recently, Isaac Muwanguzi, who claims to be a lawyer from Muwema and Company Advocates, has been reaching out to various online forums threatening to sue them once they decline to turn down content related to the arrest of vumbula event organisers.
“Kindly do the needful, remove the story that you were paid to run to tarnish the brand that my client has built for over 5 years, or face the law.” Muwanguzi writes.
This website has learned that the organisers were detained for failure to pay service providers including the manager of Nile Nest Resort, and members of the Uganda Bouncers Association (UBA), among others who were demanding millions of money from the suspects.
Joanita Nalumu, the venue manager confirmed that Vumbula Uganda event organisers ended up paying the deposit for the venue and refused to clear the balance on the second day of the event as per their agreement.
“As the venue owners we offer space, parking, electricity, and clean washrooms,” said Nalumu.
Jimmy Evans Kayizzi, one of the service providers, confirmed that a number of them were not cleared by the organisers for the services they rendered during the three days of the event.
Kayizzi said that the over 1500 revelers paid sh100,000 for the three days they spent at Nile Nest Resort. The event mainly attracts university students, who are mainly transported from Kampala.
Inside the venue, there are always other service providers for accommodation offering mattresses and camping tents to revelers and beers at the cheapest prices.
Revelers at Jinja say the event is another version of Nyegenyege, though it is portrayed as merely an event to promote the arts.
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