TAKEAWAYS

• Abtex questions Saha’s political stance over using Kololo.
• He dismisses Saha’s expensive stage as largely decorative.
• Abtex maintains Ray G remains the king of Kololo.

Events promoter Abbey Musinguzi, popularly known as Abtex, has weighed in on the rivalry between King Saha and Ray G, arguing that Saha’s recent Kololo show did not do enough to surpass Ray G’s benchmark.

Abtex questioned the political optics surrounding Saha’s concert, arguing that the singer’s opposition-leaning political stance sits awkwardly with holding a major concert at Kololo Independence Grounds, a government-managed venue, while also benefiting from security and a platform to promote the event.

“I don’t think even his leader Robert Kyagulanyi is happy with this,” Abitex said, questioning how Saha could simultaneously oppose government while relying on government-managed facilities and services.

He also dismissed the size of Saha’s stage as a meaningful measure of success, arguing that the elaborate production was more about appearance than substance.

“Saha wanted a big stage just to outcompete Ray G, but it was meaningless. Stage is all about decoration,” he argued.

According to Abtex, the financial performance of the concert should matter more than the spectacle. He contends that Saha attracted many people through cheaper ticket prices and free entry, making it difficult to establish that the promoter made significant money from the concert.

For Abtex, who organized Ray G’s Kololo show, the western Uganda singer therefore remains the “king of Kololo” because of the commercial impact of his event rather than simply the size of the stage.

The promoter has continued to pin the two artists against each other, a rivalry that has increasingly spilled into social media and, at times, stirred tribal tensions. Some social media users have now advised him to stop fueling the comparison.