Who is Andrew Benon Kibuuka? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, achievements, and relationship with Mary Siita, Charles James Senkubuge, Aloysius Matovu Joy, David Kateete, Kavuma Kabenge, Steven Byaruhanga, the early life and education of the current president of the Uganda’s Federation of Performing Artistes (FPAU)
Andrew Benon Kibuuka is a Ugandan playwright, director, producer, composer, and tutor.
He is the current president of the Uganda’s Federation of Performing Artistes (FPAU).
He is also a traditional Buganda figure who serves as the deputy sub-county chief for Kasanje as well as a sub-clan head in Mamba-Gabunga.
Benon Kibuuka is well-known for directing episodes for the Bakayimbira Drama Actors, a group he co-founded.
Early Life and Education
Andrew Kibuuka, Charles James Senkubuge and Aloysius Matovu Joy formed a trio while still attending Kampala high school.
They frequently thrilled their classmates with their unique versions of great literary plays, most notably Wole Soyinka’s The Road.
Kibuuka’s wife, Mary Siita, is a founding member of the Bakayimbira and was a busy performer until the 1990s.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Andrew Benon Kibuuka was a highly ambitious young man anxious to make it with Kampala Drama Actors, which was led by David Kateete.
Kibuuka had already established himself as one-third of a three-man high school sensation of aspiring performers, together with Charles James Senkubuge and Aloysius Matovu Joy, before joining forces with Kateete.
Peers like Julius Kavuma Kabenge and Steven Byaruhanga would subsequently leave the cause to pursue careers in law and motorsport, respectively.
Kateete abruptly left for the United States in 1982, just as Kibuuka and friends were settling in with Kampala Drama Actors, leaving every group member to fend for himself.
At this moment, the young adults banded together to form their own Bakayimbira group, with Mike Kakande serving as chairman.
Kibuuka took on the job of creative director and wrote Ebibala Bya Nantongo, Bakayimbira’s debut play. It was an instant success, propelling Bakayimbira to the forefront of the business.
His later performances, including Enseke Z’enganda and Olusozi Lwa Batulege, cemented his reputation as a gifted dramatist.
Inspite of his newfound celebrity status, he remained relatively unknown outside of the theatre world until he penned Akasambattuko in 1986.
The action-packed play, which depicted the five-year struggle in the Luweero triangle, was shown on the national broadcaster UTV, now UBC.
This national exposure increased Bakayimbira’s stock and was staged in many theatre houses around the country.
Kibuuka was motivated to enter the theatre by uncles Henry Balamaze Lwanga (RIP) and Tucker Mubiru Lwanga, who used to perform in the now-defunct City Players in the 1970s.
When he became secretary of the Uganda Theatrical Groups Association (UTGA) later that year, many thought the shoes were too big for the 24-year-old in an era when veterans ruled the show.
Kibuuka also worked in radio for 13 years. In 1999, he had an opportunity to work on Radio Simba and established a section called Poor Kiteke, in which he tended to be a jack of all trades by dramatising current events.
In 1999, he collaborated with Senkubuge and Jean Nakacwa to produce Mukyala Neighbour, a three-minute morning skit.
Kibuuka first appeared on mainstream television in 2010 with Bukedde TV, where he also directed Byansi.
After his father, Paul Kiteke Bazibumbira, died in 2012, he left the airways to catch up on the backlog as the heir.
Achievements and Awards
During the 1984 National Drama Festivals, Kibuuka was voted best actor by his peers. He was named Best Actor at the Uganda National Cultural Centre annual awards in 1984, and his film Olusozi Lwa Batulege was named Best Production.
The award-winning play was so educational that it was included in the national curriculum for O-level Luganda pupils.
His accomplishments in the performing arts are amazing, and he has remained a leading figure in the profession even while luminaries such as Wycliffe Kiyingi (RIP), Christopher Mukiibi, Alex Mukulu, and Omugave Ndugwa, among others, have slowed down.
Kibuuka was instrumental in organising fundraisers for financially troubled singers, such as Herman Basudde Semakula, Livingstone Kasozi, and Paul Kafeero’s Munno Mukabi performance in 1996.
Kibuuka received the Outstanding Entertainment Personality and Best Theatre Personality prizes at the first Uganda Entertainment prizes in 2015 at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
Controversies
The Muslim community was not pleased with Andrew Benon Kibuuka’s performance as ‘Hajji Bumaali’ in the play Byansi.
His portrayal of a rigid Hajji Bumali who always scammed his way without paying for bodaboda fares drew considerable backlash, causing him to convert to Dube Atasasula Boda, which is still popular, but as a newspaper comedy.
The Muslims were so irritated by his performance that they nearly killed him. He experienced a difficult time after surviving being burned with acid by a group of Muslims who accused him of causing harm to their religion.
He frequently received threatening phone calls from the Muslim community, informing him that if he ever wanted to live a happy life, he should abandon their religion.
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