The Bizonto comedy group include; Julius Sserwanja aka Kidomoole Ssaabazonto, Mbabaali Maliseeri aka Uncle Luyuguume, Gold Kimatono aka Opeto and Simon Peter Ssabakaki aka Omuzinyuuzi.
Bizonto is a comedy group from Uganda. They are radio presenters on one of the local stations in the country named Radio Simba and presenting a morning show programme known as Binsangawano.
Origin of Bizonto
At Binsangawano Programme, they found a word called Bizonto, initiated by Muvawala, one of the presenters then and whoever belongs to the Binsangawano group they consider him or her to be a zonto.
They always say make a zonto, zonto means a joke.
So out of the word zonto, they began the comedy group titled Bizonto and Dr Tee was the only member who was not from the Binsangawano team at the beginning, he later left the group and was replaced by another Binsangawano presenter.
They are only four people in the group. Julius Sserwanja is the scriptwriter on all skits they produce and every day they produce a new video. Every Friday one skit features on Spark TV, a sister television station of NTV Uganda, while the others upload them on their YouTube channel.
It takes him 20 to 30 minutes to write a script.
Arrests
Bizonto comedians were first arrested in July 2020, for releasing a satirical skit in which they listed several heads of government institutions denoting how they all hail from the western part of the country.
The four comedians popularly known for acting parody skits were arrested at Radio Simba over a satirical skit titled “Our leaders” that the government thought was promoting sectarianism and offensive communication.
In the seven minutes skit that was uploaded on July 15 2020, on YouTube, the quartet prayed for Uganda’s leaders but first started with a musical and then listed all persons who are holding key positions in the country all hailing from Western Uganda, where the president comes from.
According to the Bizonto comedy group, they intended to teach children, who were stuck at home because schools were shut down, about the people who occupy a strategic position in Uganda but not sectarianism as indicated on the charge shit.
They listed President Museveni, Chief of Defense Forces Gen. David Muhoozi, and Lt. Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the senior presidential advisor on special operations.
The others they listed were: Bank of Uganda Governor Tumusiime Mutebile, Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi, Commissioner General of Prisons Dr Johnson Byabasaija, Ministry of Security Gen Elly Tumwine, former Internal Security Organization boss Col Bagyenda Kaka, Chief of Ministry Intelligence Maj Gen Abel Kandiiho, then commander of the Special Forces Command Maj Gen James Birungi, and the Election Commission Chairperson, Simon Byabakama.
When it came to the police force, the comedians pointed out its head, Mr Martin Okoth-Ochola, but were quick to add that Maj Gen Sabiiti Muzeyi, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police, was very influential in decision making within the Force.
They urged their fans to teach their children who is who in the country, further urging them to pray for Uganda’s leaders. The four comedians were later in March 2021 re-arrested on charges of promoting sectarianism and offensive communication.
They narrated that trouble started at 7:00 am, during their show break; they had moved out to stretch their bodies. They said officials arrived and first surrounded Omulangira Ndausi also a staff at Radio Simba, they laughed and mocked Nsausi asking why they are arresting him.
Then shortly they pointed at each of them saying they are the ones and they were arrested. However, they also didn’t know the reason for the arrest, at the time of their arrest they informed them they were being arrested for skipping a bond and on arrival at the police station, they were charged with sectarianism, the former case.
Nevertheless, the four comedians alleged that Pastor Aloysius Buggingo of House of Prayer Ministries was behind their arrest. They further stressed that Pastor Buggingo threatened them that they will be arrested and indeed they were arrested.
The turn of events originated from Bobi Wine’s armoured vehicle that Pastor Buggingo criticized during a church service and the comedian made fun of him.
However, they denied the charges and through their lawyers led by Derrick Lutalo applied to be freed on bail pending disposal of the case against them. The lawyers presented several sureties who included their friends, relatives and human rights defenders.
However, in response, the prosecution led by Patricia Cingtho opposed the bail application saying the sureties presented did not have local council letters confirming their places of residence.
But in his ruling, the magistrate overruled the submissions of the prosecution saying the national identity cards produced by the sureties are more credible and binding documents to secure bail.
He then accordingly granted them bail of 100,000 shillings, not cash.
The accused were ordered to reappear in court on April 8th 2021 for mention as inquiries continue.
Sserwanja Julius aka Kidomoole Ssaabazonto
Sserwanja Julius is the leader and proprietor of the Bizonto comedy group. He says he writes most of the comedy scripts for Bizonto. He was born on 23rd March 1985 in Entebbe Grade B Hospital to Sarah Wanyana and Martin Muwonge (R.I.P).
He was raised by a single mother after losing his father at a tender age in Nkumba where his mother resides currently.
He’s the second last born in a family of two. However, Bizonto has other three siblings from his mother. Ssaabazonto grew up and studied in Entebbe.
As a child, he was so stubborn to the extreme Ssaabazonto attended Central Primary School Nkumba, then St. Donozio, and later Nkumba Christians Primary School on bursary scheme awarded by the school where he completed his Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), scoring 8 aggregates.
He then joined Entebbe Secondary School for only S.1 class, he left the school after being suspended for late coming, he always arrived late because he used to walk long distances to school.
Thereafter, Bizonto joined Nkumba SS, from there Green Stars, Nkumba College and then Ssaabazonto returned to Nkumba SS, then Merry Land. He studied in several schools because he was a stubborn child and could leave one school after another following suspension.
Then after his mother failed to control his son, her sister in Mityana asked her to take him to Mityana Standard Secondary School claiming it’s a strict school and indeed the school managed Ssaabazonto.
After completing Senior Four, he again returned to Mityana Standard SS for A’ Level. It was against his will because the school rules and restrictions did not favour Sabazonto.
After completing A’ Level, Ssaabazonto worked at Nile Breweries in Jinja during his vacation. He continued working because he had no dream of joining campus, he was already earning money. But then his cousin whom he completed senior six with visited him in Jinja and inspired him to join campus.
He thereafter resigned and went back home, told his mother that he wants to join campus. Bizonto’s mother told him that the chance is gone, “I have no money now, continue working and raise your own money and pay your tuition fees”.
But after some time his mother called him and asked him to look for an institution and study and receiving news from his friend that his son was going to join the army. His mother hated two things in her life, army service and fishing, so after receiving news of her son joining the army, she immediately reacted to his son’s request.
Ssaabazonto was admitted at Buganda Royal Institute of Business and Technical Education, Kakeeka to study Journalism and Mass-Communication.
After school, Ssaabazonto started a comedy group; he began with four people being inspired by Amooti Mubalanguzi’s Side Mirror comedy skits. They named their group City Comedians, but they had a challenge of funding and it collapsed shortly.
He then volunteered at CBS Radio writing comedy skits for two months. After a while, one gentleman at the station asked him does he receive his salary. He answered no! And he told him your money comes, meaning his manager was pocketing it. And when he tried to ask his manager about his money, he instead fired him.
Ssaabazonto then joined Radio Sapientia and worked for one month writing comedy skits and thereafter he joined Radio Simba writing comedy skits. Later he was forced to voice them against his will.
After three years, he joined Binsangawano, a morning show at Radio Simba, a programme he has presented until today and in totality, he has worked for over 10 years at Radio Simba.
