Ugandan leaders have disagreed over the hosting of the popular Nyege Nyege festival in the eastern city of Jinja, whose critics have described as promoting immorality.
Nyege Nyege, an annual music and art festival that has been held in Uganda since 2015, is one of the most popular but controversial festivals in East Africa.
Some of Jinja’s Muslim leaders, led by the Jinja District Kadhi Sheikh Ismail Basoga Adi have opposed the hosting of the event in the city.
“The activities taking place at Nyege Nyege are not commendable, especially in terms of their impact on the younger generation. While they do generate substantial revenue, they also promote immorality within society,” Mr Adi said recently, according to Uganda’s privately-owned Daily Monitor Newspaper.
However, Uganda’s Minister for East African Community Affairs Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga has criticised the push by Muslim leaders to ban the festival, terming them “self-seekers hiding behind religion”.
She said on Monday that the festival should not be cancelled on grounds of immorality as it is not attended by children and Jinja’s Muslim leaders have not opposed the hosting of similar events in the city before.
In previous years, some Ugandan leaders have championed for the ban of the festival, which they described as a “breeding ground for sexual immorality” and “homosexuality”.