David Mugema
At about 8:20 pm on Monday, a visibly frail David Mugema stepped out of his room at Sanyu Guest House on Coronation Road in Gulu City.
According to the staff, he slowly made his way to the reception and requested two bottles of drinking water.
“The available 500ml bottles were not cold, so we offered him a larger bottle of cold water instead,” a lodge attendant told Monitor on condition of anonymity.
“He opened it, took two sips, and returned to his room,” the attendant added. That was the last time Mugema, a gospel artiste based in Kampala, was seen alive by lodge staff. The following morning, his friend and travel companion, Mr George William Katabu, a retired UPDF Major, found him dead in his room. Police were called and immediately cordoned off the guest house, recording statements from occupants and employees, and collecting samples from the scene.
By press time last evening, the Aswa West Regional Police spokesperson, Mr David Ongom Mudong, confirmed that Mugema’s body had been taken to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital for a post-mortem, although the results were still pending.
“The police homicide unit is continuing with investigations. Detectives have already documented the scene and recorded statements from the guest house staff,” Mr Ongom said in a statement. Mugema had reportedly travelled from Kampala to Gulu City to seek financial assistance from Gen Salim Saleh, the chief coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), for cancer treatment. He was expected to meet the general on Tuesday.
According to police, Mugema had been battling cancer for about three years, with the disease severely affecting his leg by the time of his death. Mr Katabu, who drove Mugema from Kampala, told police that the deceased began experiencing complications during the journey.
“When they reached Kigumba Town in Kiryandongo District, Mugema complained of fever and struggled to eat lunch. He later bought Panadol at a nearby pharmacy,” the police report noted. Upon arriving in Gulu around 5pm on Monday, Mugema’s condition worsened. Katabu drove him to Sanyu Guest House and booked Room 110. Later that night, around midnight, Mugema called his brother-in-law to request help retrieving painkillers from the car, complaining of a running stomach. “He took the painkiller and went back to sleep,” the police statement said.
“But when Katabu checked on him at around 7:30am the next morning, Mugema had already died.” Police have since registered a case of sudden death under file number DEF 20/2025 at Gulu Central Police Station. Mugema’s death casts fresh light on the growing number of Ugandan artistes flocking to Gulu City to seek financial aid from Gen Saleh.
The music fraternity and civil society have since called for a re-evaluation of how struggling artistes and other creatives are supported, emphasising the need for more structured and transparent systems of welfare, rather than ad hoc donations tied to political figures.
Saleh’s frustrations
Over the past few years, musicians from across the country have made repeated trips to meet the general, hoping for bailouts or project funding. But Gen Saleh has grown increasingly frustrated with what he described as “unserious and money-minded artistes.” In December 2024, he announced that he had severed ties with several musicians, citing their failure to fulfill agreed-upon deliverables. In a leaked memo addressed to the Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) and Uganda Musicians Association (UMA), Gen Saleh expressed disappointment over the poor quality of work by the artists, despite financial support extended to them.
“Musicians, musicians, I’m tired of you,” Saleh said at a past event. “You have taken a lot of my time. I’ve not even met NRM leaders because in the morning I’m meeting Buchaman, in the afternoon Reggae Dee, and in the evening Odong Romeo. So when do I attend to my real assignments?” he added.
