Comedian Muhangi Alex who is also the proprietor of Comedy Store Uganda is bitter with a small group of people he accuses of stealing Shs 6.5bn which was meant for promoters whose events were affected by Covid lockdown.

Government had promised the entertainment industry a stimulus package to help the arts recover since all gatherings were banned. However, according to Muhangi, businesses such as his (Comedy Store) did not get a single coin even when they have legitimate grounds to claim the funds.

The comedian and promoter seemed angry that people who have no record of organizing events, and who incurred no losses, ended up being the sole beneficiaries of the money in question.

“We hear a small section of people got this money (Shs 6.5bn) and shared it amongst themselves. Who are these people? None of the so-called Promoters who decide for us has a weekly nor a monthly event,” Comedian Muhangi wrote on Thursday in a Facebook post.

In the post, he explained that his business which had created income opportunities for very many people (comedians, musicians and service providers) suffered numerous losses due to Covid, and therefore should be entitled to compensation.

He says Comedy Store was due to have an upcountry tour when the lockdown was announced. “We had already spent significantly on marketing. All the requisite paperwork to support this was handed in to the authorities last year,” Comedian Muhangi wrote.

The post also added: “Comedy Store has suffered losses from activities such as annual events in the U.K and the U.S) which were cancelled due to travel restrictions. Still, these cancellations directly affected comedians and musicians that usually headline these shows”.

According to him, the show had also already spent on booking some artists from Wasafi in Tanzania who were slated to perform in July of last year.

Having been running Comedy Store since 2016, Muhangi says his business has never failed to fulfill its tax obligations, and therefore deserves consideration for the stimulus funds.

“Where is the stimulus for such businesses? We demand for accountability. We demand for what’s ours. We’ve been patient enough,” Muhangi said.