One last chance: Cindy to meet Kenzo federation again

“The first time we failed to agree and we said we are going to meet again to see if it works out or not. It is not a matter of life and death,” Cindy announced over the weekend.

“UMA doesn't have to join the federation; whatever it is we are going to have one more engagement and if we agree, we’ll work. If we don't, we’ll walk away.”

In the first meeting last Friday, a fight broke out between members of both parties, which forced the military to intervene.

Cindy had been invited by the Uganda National Cultural Center (UNCC) to discuss the possibility of her association UMA, and 12 other associations (which recently denounced UNMF), joining the Kenzo-led establishment. 

One of the UMA members Big Eye reportedly stood up to make his views, before three federation members tried to shut him down, and a scuffle broke out.

“Amongst us, the most aggressive person is Big Eye. So he got up to speak his mind and Mr Lee, Bruno K and Ray Signature got up and attacked him while trying to defend their President. The army came in and separated us,” Cindy said.

The former Blu*3 says she is still opposed to Kenzo’s federation on a number of grounds. First, she believes it is loosely founded and lacks legitimacy.

When they went for the Friday meeting, she says, she found that they had registered only a handful of associations, mostly based in Central Uganda.

She is also unhappy that Kenzo went around calling leaders of the small associations which UMA created in different regions some time back, advising them to leave Cindy’s group and join him.

“How can you ask me to join you when behind my back, you are undermining my work and destroying what I have built? This is one of the reasons we refused to federate in the first place,” she said.

Cindy also dismissed Kenzo’s claims last Saturday that she and UMA members were fighting for top positions in the federation.

“It is not true that we talked about power sharing. He is the one who called us and offered us positions. But we wanted to find out what kind of federation it is that we were being offered positions. We wanted to see its membership, its paperwork and intentions. People need to know that UMA is the biggest association in Uganda. Kenzo has nothing big he can offer me.”

After the fight broke out, Cindy says she and her members decided to leave and reschedule another meeting. She didn't reveal however, when the next meeting will be.