Veteran Ugandan musician and music manager Chagga Geoffrey has accused the promoter involved in his cancelled Friends of Chagga concert of failing to deliver adequate publicity, alleging that the poor planning left him struggling to attract an audience.
The concert was scheduled for November 1, 2025, at Kati Kati Restaurant in Kampala but was cancelled at the last minute following low ticket sales and other logistical challenges. Chagga has now shared his account of what went wrong, claiming that the publicity arrangements fell short of what he had expected.
According to the musician, the promoter arranged media interviews that he felt were unsuitable for promoting the event effectively. Chagga said he became frustrated with the approach and eventually took matters into his own hands.
“The promoter started calling me on interviews but took me to low-end televisions. He took me to an Islam TV in Nabweru, and I started fighting them because I didn’t like how they were advertising me,” Chagga explained.
His criticism centred on how the concert was being marketed and whether the promotional campaign could generate enough attention to bring people through the doors.
Chagga said he eventually contacted people within his own media network to help publicise the show after becoming dissatisfied with the arrangements.
The musician also pointed to a press conference organised ahead of the concert, claiming that the media turnout was disappointing despite assurances that publicity would be handled by the promoter.
“When I organised the press conference, they didn’t turn up,” he said.
Chagga maintained that he had been left to contact journalists personally and invite them to the event, despite believing that media coordination was part of the promoter’s responsibility.
Chagga Questions the Promoter’s Intentions
The dispute goes beyond dissatisfaction with the publicity campaign. Chagga alleges that the promoter’s actions were intended to embarrass him rather than give the concert a fair chance of attracting an audience.
That remains Chagga’s allegation; the supplied account does not include a response from the promoter or independent evidence establishing deliberate intent.
The cancellation followed low ticket sales and other logistical difficulties, but Chagga’s comments focus particularly on the media campaign and the lack of attendance at the press conference.
The Friends of Chagga concert was intended to take place in Kampala on November 1, 2025. Its cancellation left the musician questioning how the event had been managed and whether the promised promotional support had been delivered.
For now, Chagga has made his position clear: he believes the publicity effort was inadequate and says he had to rely on his own media contacts to get the concert noticed. The promoter’s account of the events has not been provided.