On August 1, the Ministry of Education and Sports issued a directive requiring schools to control the entertainers they invite, noting a rising trend of semi-naked performers being taped in front of high school pupils. The ministry highlighted a 2019 video in which singer Winifred Nakanwagi, better known by her stage as Winnie Nwagi, was captured singing indecently in front of students at St Mary's College Kisubi in a letter written to school authorities on August 1.
Students could be seen ribbing the singer and the dancers from the video, which recently went popular on social media.
The letter written by Dr. Jane Egau Okou on behalf of the permanent secretary of the ministry states, "It is also now obvious that there have been several of these absolutely unacceptable and offensive events authorized in schools in the name of extracurricular and entertainment activities."
"Typically, extracurricular activities at school include clubs for debate, sports, and other activities. Schools can stage plays or organize concerts if they need to amuse themselves. But going forward, it must be against the law to invite singers who perform sensual dances while nude in the context of extracurricular events."
Karungi, one of the performers who has encouraged risqué performances among female singers, questioned why the government should control how musicians should perform on Tuesday after realizing how much support she had from her kind of entertainment. "We want to you to walk like this, then dress like this, then act like this," said Karungi, who was also quoted in the media as saying that it is the responsibility of parents to instill discipline in children and provide them with moral guidance. "You can't wait for people to go through hell to rise on top and then you start dictating how they should live their lives," added Karungi.
According to Cindy Sanyu, who employs a similar performance style to Karungi, musicians need to reevaluate their approach to kid-friendly entertainment. Things must alter when singing for children, she remarked. Because they are not psychologically prepared for what you are feeding them at that time, young children should not be exposed to you.
One could counter that Sanyu chose the moral path because she is currently running for the Uganda Musician Association (UMA), where image is everything. Or is it that she has children as well?