Nyege Nyege festival-goer prepares to strike a drum at the Itanda Falls on the second day of Nyege Nyege festival, the annual four-day international music festival, in Jinja, on September 16, 2022.
According to Jinja City, a Facebook page dedicated to updating its followers on the state of affairs in Jinja, the accommodation spots within the city are almost booked out.
“Jinja hoteliers are making a killing with most registering 100 per cent bookings,” the page reveals.
“Currently it’s virtually impossible to get a hotel booking for next week in and around Jinja City,” it adds.
This was ahead of the Nyege Nyege festival which is happening this weekend from November 9 to 12, 2023, at a combined space of about 50 acres covering the Source of the Nile, Jinja showgrounds, Jinja Golf Course, and Source Gardens.
With the festival in high gear, news coming in from Kenya is that their inaugural edition of Nyege Nyege that was scheduled to happen last weekend was cancelled.
In a document that this reporter has seen, the decision to cancel the festival was regarding the safety and well-being of the attendees, artistes and staff.
“The decision to cancel Nyege Nyege Kenyan edition 2023 was not made lightly. The safety and well-being of our attendees, artistes and staff are of utmost importance to us. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond our control have forced us to make this difficult choice,” the document reads in part.
What this means to the original Nyege Nyege is that Kenyans who have for a very long time been gracing the event will still come in big numbers.
Last year, over 4,000 Kenyans came for Nyege Nyege festival compared to 1,500 people from Tanzania and 500 from Rwanda while in 2019, the festival attracted approximately 13,000 attendees, with 4,000 coming from outside Uganda with Kenya still having the biggest number with 3,000 attendees.
Earlier this year, with the announcement of Nyege Nyege Kenya, Talent Africa who are the main organizers of Nyege Nyege Uganda came out with a document distancing themselves from the Kenyan edition.
