At least 15,000 people gathered on the banks of River Nile to attend the annual Nyege Nyege Festival.
The festival attracted local, regional and international tourists who enjoyed a rich menu of music, art, dance and drama alongside traditional dishes and refreshments.
First launched in 2015, the event aimed to promote crude musicians and artists who are yet to make it to the national or even international scene.
However, due to popular demand, Nyege Nyege now blends both up-and-coming artistes with experienced and popular stage masters to suit the diverse audience.
In 2019, the Uganda Investment Authority estimated that 13,000 people attended the event, with 10,000 coming from within Uganda while the rest were foreigners.
In 2022, the number rose to about 15,000 attendees, with 3,000 coming from Kenya and 2,000 being international guests.
Nyege has boosted local businesses in form accommodation, restaurants, bars, inns as well as tourism activities such as camping, kayaking, bungee jumping and boat cruises.
This year’s Nyege Nyege which ended without any security incident on Sunday came amidst controversy as the US and UK warned citizens not to attend.
However, President Yoweri Museveni assured attendees of advanced security, hence the high turnout.
“Within Uganda, the security forces are guarding the pre-prepared public functions like the Nyege Nyege,” Museveni said before the event.
Available data indicates that in 2019, about 50 small and medium enterprises took part in the Nyege Nyege, with the number growing to 75 in 2022. This gave the country an opportunity to make extra income in form of taxes.
To sum it up, Nyege Nyege was an event for the East African country to showcase the delicious rolex, a no-time bound street food made using chapatti, omelette and vegetables.
Hundreds of tourists could be seen munching on the tasty rolex as they moved around the festival venue while enjoying the cool breeze from the source of the longest river on the continent (and probably the world) – The Nile.