Ugandan award winning musician Edirisa Musuuza AKA Eddy Kenzo has been named the country’s new tourism ambassador.
Mr Kenzo was unveiled to the media on Tuesday September 1st 2020 as the new face of the sector which is Uganda’s biggest foreign exchange earner raking in $1.6 billion last year.
Tourism officials led by the Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Mr Godfrey Kiwanda, presided over the unveiling in the capital Kampala.
The 2015 BET “Viewer’s Choice Best New International Artist award winner now takes over this role from former Miss Uganda and Miss World Africa, Quinn Abenakyo, together with socialites Zari Hassan and Anita Fabiola.
Tourism authorities contend that Eddy Kenzo, with his popularity across the continent and a massive following on social media will help influence both local and foreign visitors into the country.
Uganda has an ambitious target of having 4 million visitors a year but according to recent figures, the country received only 1.505 million visitors in 2018.
With over 1.4 million fans on Facebook, 338,000 followers on twitter and 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube, Kenzo —a self-made musician — is one of the most followed people in Uganda online.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Kenzo said he took his new role with “profound honour and great joy” thanking authorities for entrusting him with the task.
“While I will be required to also showcase our beauty to the outside world, I strongly believe it all begins with us. I therefore appeal to you all my friends, fans and all Ugandans to be a part of the #TulambuleMyUganda campaign to see what beauty we behold as a nation,” he said.
He added; “This for me is an opportunity to continue what I’have been doing using my music to promote Uganda. As you will hear in the news, it’s entirely voluntary and I am glad to be doing this for my country.”
