By Hattie Hanyerere
They walked home with a US$50,000 (UGX184m) grand prize.
Ugandan singing youngsters, siblings Esther and Ezekiel Mutesasira have won the first edition of East Africa’s Got Talent show. The duo was announced after a stimulating televised show finale at Catholic University auditorium in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday.
The competition is part of the Got Talent franchise owned by Simon Cowell. It drew participation from Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and hosts Kenya.
The show became the topic of a heated debate in August after the Burundi government accused a group of Burundian refugees of illegally playing the country’s famous traditional drums on the show.
Esther and Eziekel walked home with a US$50,000 (UGX184m) grand prize. The Mutesasiras beat two other Ugandan acts, Comic dance group, Dance Alliance Network (DNA) and Jehovah Shalom Acappella, in the finale that had six contestants.
The other finalists were Kenya’s young songbird, Jannell Tamara and Spellcast, and Rwandan cultural troupe Intayoberana. Finale was the climax of the six-month journey that saw numerous contestants from across the region.
