Back in 2013, Chris Kaiga released a song that landed him in serious trouble. Politically, it put him in the spotlight and led to him being sidelined due to the song's controversial connotations.
The song, Pombe Bangi, had political undertones that upset certain sections of society. Speaking with Eric on Every Other Time, Chris expressed regret for not thinking the song through.
Reflecting on the aftermath, he explained, "Music is funny. Someone once told me, 'Music needs to be used.' You may have great bars, but if your song can’t be used commercially or even resonate with the audience, then it misses the mark. We didn’t present Pombe Bangi in a positive way. It became famous, but it couldn’t be used."
He was investigated over the song but insists it was meant to be harmless fun. "People assumed there was a political angle, but before anyone got involved, they investigated. They found it wasn't motivated by anything political—it was just some young guys having fun and experimenting. They realized it was harmless."
Chris also faced challenges in performing the song. "Another mistake we made was not including my verse. If it had been in a different space, it could have been more successful," he shared.
The biggest blow came when he was expelled from campus, despite being close to completing his studies. "It affected me deeply. I didn’t do it to harm the school; I didn’t even perform it on school grounds. I did it on my off day. But the school told us, ‘If you're in JKUAT, you're part of JKUAT's property. You can't just go out there doing whatever you want.’ So I kind of understand where they were coming from."
The setback forced him to drop out and abandon his academic dreams. He eventually opened a studio and pursued music full-time.
"It really broke me. I was in my fourth year, second semester, and I had taken that course to push myself. It affected my mom, too," he added.
How One Song Led to Chris Kaiga’s Expulsion from University