No city festival this year, says Musisi

This year’s Kampala city festival has been cancelled.

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director, Ms Jennifer Musisi says the money meant to organize the three day annual entertainment event will be diverted to other productive things to benefit all the city dwellers.
Ms Musisi told journalists in Kampala, on Wednesday that it doesn't make sense to spend money on entertainment yet services in the city are poor.

"We spend about Shs500 million in organising the festival but we realised that if we divert this money to schools and hospitals, it would be better because some of the people who come to the festival are the very people who go to seek services in our city health centres and schools," she said before adding that the authority expects to collect Shs1.9b from partners this year.

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  Speaking at the final meeting with sponsors at the City hall, executive director Jennifer Musisi said this year’s carnival will run for two days

Ms Musisi said the money they had collected from traders for the festival that had been scheduled for October 5 would be refunded.

Kampala festival, which is the biggest street party in East Africa is a signature brand that draws multitudes to Kampala every October to celebrate culture, unity and social life.

With Kampala in a constant state of change and regeneration, the festival projects the image of the City as a happy, cultural and warm place to be while promoting positive change to its public realm.

Every first week of October, Kampala becomes animated with flamboyant sights, vibrant sounds and lively rhythms in concert with an array of floats winding through the streets with dancers on show as they spin, whirl and twirl to mesmeric beats of celebration along the festival route revealing all facets that uniquely depict the city’s profusion of brilliant culture and social life.