For a few hours on Saturday night, Ndere Cultural Centre was no longer simply a venue. It became a living archive of Kenneth Mugabi’s musical journey — ten years of songs, memories, love, loss and stories returned to the people who helped give them meaning.
Mugabi took the stage at Ndere on September 12 for a special concert marking a decade since the release of his breakthrough album, Kibun’omu, while also celebrating his birthday. The show was the second chapter of his four-part 10 Years of Kenneth Mugabi celebration.
And if there was one thing the night made clear, it was that Mugabi’s music has travelled much further than the studio.
The crowd did not merely listen.
They sang.
From the opening notes of “People of the Land” to the closing performances of “Naki,” “Sanyu,” “Muvubuka,” “Underwraps” and “Nkwegomba,” fans repeatedly turned the concert into a conversation, singing Mugabi’s lyrics back to him almost line for line.
A concert that began with culture
The evening opened with Uganda, Buganda and Busoga anthems before cultural dancers took the stage, setting a distinctly Ugandan tone for a concert built around an artist whose music has always moved between contemporary soul and cultural storytelling.
There was also a poignant moment of remembrance for the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, whose life and legacy were honoured during the show. The tribute brought the audience to its feet, with phones raised as Mugabi’s concert briefly became a collective moment of mourning and remembrance.
Then came Mugabi.
He opened with People of the Land, immediately drawing screams from the audience before moving through songs including Mumbejja, Abamuzibe and Aka Number.
When he performed My Woman, the song was accompanied by a choreographed performance, adding another layer to a concert that was as visual as it was musical.
When the Endingidi changed the room
One of the evening’s defining moments came when Mugabi picked up the Endingidi, the traditional Ugandan string instrument.
The mood shifted.
After working through Nambi, People of the Land and Ijondarire, the instrument provided a bridge between the contemporary soul singer audiences know and the cultural roots that continue to shape his sound.
It was a reminder that Mugabi’s appeal has never depended solely on a big stage or elaborate production.
His strongest currency remains the song.
A birthday tribute to his mother
But beneath the celebration was a more intimate story.
Because the concert also marked his birthday, Mugabi used the occasion to remember his late mother — the woman he said supported his dream and believed in him.
He performed a spoken-word piece set to music in her honour.
“Today being my birthday, I want to honor my late mother. She supported me and believed in my dream, so to honour her I wrote this poem for her,” Mugabi said.
It was one of the night’s quieter moments, but perhaps its most revealing.
For an artist celebrating ten years in music, the milestone was not presented simply as a victory. It was also a reminder of the people who helped him get there.
Mad Ice, Naava Grey and the birthday surprise
The night still had plenty of room for celebration.
Tanzanian-Ugandan singer Mad Ice made a surprise appearance, performing Nkwagala Nyo Mukwano, before Naava Grey took the stage to a roaring reception.
Grey performed Nteredde and Ninga Omuloge before joining Mugabi for their collaboration “Owuwo.”
She then turned the performance into an impromptu birthday celebration, inviting four fans onto the stage to help cut Mugabi’s cake.
The moment captured the spirit of the entire concert: Mugabi may have been the man celebrating ten years, but the audience was deeply woven into the celebration.
More than soulful melodies
Mugabi’s music has often carried messages beneath its melodies.
His songs touch on relationships, culture, education, safe sex, social values and environmental responsibility. People of the Land, for example, uses music to speak about sustainability and the importance of protecting the environment for future generations.
That combination has helped distinguish Mugabi in Uganda’s crowded music industry.
He does not always preach.
He tells stories.
And sometimes the message arrives almost unnoticed, carried inside a chorus people are already enjoying.
Ten years later, the songs still belong to the people
By the finale, Ndere had become less like an audience watching an artist and more like a choir accompanying one.
Mugabi returned with Naki, Sanyu, Muvubuka, Underwraps and Nkwegomba, while fans danced, sang and kept their phones raised.
It was an appropriate ending for an anniversary whose central idea was always connection.
A decade after Kibun’omu introduced his distinctive sound to a wider audience, Mugabi has something many artists spend an entire career trying to build: a catalogue people have made part of their own lives.
The songs have become memories.
The memories have become stories.
And at Ndere on Saturday night, those stories came alive again.
For Kenneth Mugabi, ten years in music was not simply something to count.
It was something to sing.
