The Ugandan music community is reeling from the sudden loss of DJ Bush Baby, a pioneering voice in the country’s entertainment industry. Known off-air as Michael Benjamin Owor, he was found dead Thursday morning inside his recording studio in Entebbe. He was 50.
The news first surfaced on social media early on June 5, catching many off guard. Friends, worried after failing to reach him by phone, went to check on him. That’s when they discovered his body.
Police have cordoned off the area and opened an investigation.
“We are treating this as a sudden death,” a senior officer said at the scene. “The body will be transported to the mortuary for postmortem as we continue with investigations.”
Born in 1975, Bush Baby was among the first Ugandan deejays to bring hip hop, R&B, and urban contemporary music to the local airwaves in the late 1990s. He began his career at Radio Uganda’s Green Channel, now known as Magic FM, before his voice and musical taste traveled far beyond Uganda’s borders.
In Tanzania, he played a central role in shaping urban radio. He helped set up Kiss FM and became a defining presence at East African Radio and East African Television (Channel 5). His flagship show, Uganda Central, was more than just a playlist — it was a cultural bridge.
He also co-hosted Friday Night Live on both radio and TV, a program that earned a regional following. Another show, 5 Live, which he hosted alongside Bobby Mongi, featured live audiences and interactive content, a format still rare in the region at the time.
“He really believed in the power of media to connect East Africa,” said one longtime colleague who worked with him during the early 2000s. “Bush wasn’t just playing music — he was building culture.”
Back in Uganda, Bush Baby held key roles at major stations including Sanyu FM, XFM, Urban TV, and NXT Radio, which bills itself as the country’s first visual-audio radio station. Whether behind the mic or behind the scenes, he advocated for professionalism in broadcasting and mentorship in the industry.
In 2021, he was in a serious accident. He sustained internal injuries and a fractured pelvic bone. The aftermath left him in recovery for months. He turned to the public for help with medical bills — a move that underscored both his vulnerability and the deep reservoir of goodwill he had built over the years.
In 2024, he signed with XRadio in Dar es Salaam. Despite being based in Kampala, he stayed connected with listeners across the region through a weekly online show, aired every Thursday.
Those who knew him describe him as generous, knowledgeable, and quietly influential.
“He could trace the history of any track you played,” said one Kampala-based DJ he mentored. “He didn’t gatekeep. He taught.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
