A live broadcast. A teenager. A manager who wouldn’t give straight answers. And somewhere in the middle of all of it — five people allegedly splitting the earnings of one of Uganda’s most beloved internet stars.
Thursday night’s Ekiboozi Live session pulled the Tenge Tenge saga out of the comment sections and into real time, and what unfolded left thousands of viewers oscillating between outrage and heartbreak.
The young content creator and his father sat down to address the ongoing dispute with former manager Michael Kabonge — and what should have been a conversation about accountability turned into something far more layered, far more emotional, and far more revealing than anyone anticipated.
By the end of the night, Uganda had done something unexpected.
Let’s start with the number that stopped everyone cold.
According to discussions on the show, close to five individuals have allegedly been sharing income tied to Tenge Tenge’s online success. Five. For one teenager’s content, one teenager’s face, one teenager’s talent.
Tenge’s father disclosed that he once received Shs40 million on behalf of his son — money he says went toward supporting Tenge and his eight siblings at home. It’s a significant figure on the surface, but when you place it against years of viral content, brand deals, and YouTube revenue from one of Uganda’s top influencers, the math starts looking very uncomfortable very quickly.
Then came the moment the entire broadcast had been building toward.
The manager was asked directly: what has Tenge Tenge actually earned over the course of his career? Total figures. Transparency. Accountability.
He didn’t answer.
Not a partial figure. Not a rough estimate. Nothing direct. Just deflection — and a room full of viewers watching it happen in real time.
But that’s not even the part that sent people over the edge.
When the question of the social media accounts came up, Kabonge reportedly doubled down on his earlier position — the accounts, he argued, belong to him. Not the teenager whose name is on them. Not the family whose child built the audience. Him.
In a rare piece of good news from the session, Tenge and his father confirmed they have successfully registered the “Tenge Tenge” name, securing legal ownership of the brand. It’s a meaningful step — one that gives the family real ground to stand on as the dispute heads toward lawyers.
For anyone just catching up, Saad Ssozi — known universally as Rango Tenge Tenge — is the young Ugandan content creator whose infectious personality turned him into one of the country’s most-followed digital stars.
His rise was rapid, his fanbase loyal, and his commercial appeal real. But behind the trending videos, the family has spent years alleging that the financial returns simply never matched the visibility. Payments were small. Explanations were vague. And when they tried to part ways with their manager, they claim the accounts didn’t come with them.
The dispute went public recently when Tenge and his father first came forward with their allegations — sparking widespread debate about how young creators in Uganda are managed, protected, and compensated. Thursday’s live session was meant to bring some resolution. Instead, it raised more questions than it answered.
The broadcast was barely over before the clips started spreading.
Viewers immediately latched onto the moment the manager refused to provide earnings figures — recording it, sharing it, and dissecting it across every platform available. For many, that silence said more than any number could have.
The image of a teenager and his father sitting across from someone allegedly holding their accounts and their financial history, getting no real answers, hit differently on a screen. It felt uncomfortably familiar to anyone who has ever watched talent be outpaced by the people managing it.
Within hours, the session was the most talked-about topic in Uganda’s entertainment circles, with the comment sections turning into a full courtroom of public opinion.
The internet had thoughts — and so did their mobile money accounts.
During the live session itself, well-wishers contributed approximately Shs2.7 million toward Tenge’s school fees and general welfare. In real time. While the broadcast was still running.
And then a woman identified only as Betty donated a brand new iPhone 15 Pro Max to help the young creator potentially get back to making content.
Some fans began speculating about the total value of the accounts being disputed — pointing to subscriber counts, estimated ad revenue, and brand deal figures that, if accurate, would make the alleged payouts look even more insulting by comparison.
Others questioned the role of the additional individuals allegedly sharing in Tenge’s earnings, with many demanding that the upcoming lawyer-mediated meeting produce concrete answers and not another round of vague commitments.
It’s unclear what the legal process will uncover, but both parties have agreed to meet again — and this time, with professional guidance in the room.
Somewhere underneath all the legal language, the disputed accounts, and the unanswered questions is a teenager who just wants to create content.
Tenge Tenge didn’t ask for a dispute. He didn’t ask for a live broadcast where his family’s financial struggles became public knowledge. What he asked for — what he’s been asking for — is fairness. Transparency. The ability to benefit from his own name.
The fact that strangers watching a broadcast reached into their own pockets to help pay his school fees says everything about both the community rallying around him and the gap between what he allegedly earns and what he actually receives.
That gap is the real story here.
Here’s the detail that brings the whole thing into sharp, almost unbearable focus: the same night a manager allegedly refused to hand over accounts or explain where the money went, regular Ugandans — strangers — collectively raised millions and donated a phone to help the boy get back on his feet.
The fans did more for Tenge Tenge in one evening than his management allegedly did in years.
The lawyer meeting is coming. The brand is registered. And Uganda has made its position very clear.
The only question left is: will Michael Kabonge finally come to the table with real answers — or will the silence continue to speak for him?
Drop your thoughts below — because this story is far from finished.