Table of Contents
What happened to the 27 Guns actor, Arnold Mubangizi?
On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, the Daily Monitor published a moving profile of Arnold Mubangizi, the young actor who portrayed a young Yoweri Museveni in the 2018 biopic 27 Guns. The story revealed how the once-celebrated actor was living in extreme poverty in Munyonyo, Kampala, sharing a single, cluttered room with his ailing mother. Mubangizi survives by fetching water from a broken pipe, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and grappling with unpaid rent and debts amounting to about five million shillings.
Despite earning approximately eight million shillings from his role in 27 Guns, Mubangizi’s fortunes quickly faded. He sold off land, struggled to find more acting opportunities, and endured years of social stigma, death threats, and depression. The fame that followed the film’s premiere soon gave way to isolation and despair.
What did Gen. Muhoozi say about Arnold Mubangizi?
Almost immediately after the Daily Monitor story circulated, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba — son of President Yoweri Museveni — took to X (formerly Twitter) to express disbelief and order urgent help for the actor.
“The young boy who acted as my father in 27 Guns. I read somewhere that he is suffering? How is that possible?? I hereby order my office to take care of him immediately!” Muhoozi posted.
In a follow-up, Muhoozi reached out to Loukman Ali, one of the producers of 27 Guns, who promptly shared Mubangizi’s contact, signaling that assistance was on the way.
Mubangizi’s casting in 27 Guns marked his debut role, portraying the young Museveni during the early days of the National Resistance Army’s liberation struggle, including the dramatic Kabamba raid in 1981. Directed by Natasha Museveni Karugire and produced through Isaiah 60 Productions, the film premiered in Kampala in September 2018 and was later screened internationally. Mubangizi’s performance was praised, yet he never managed to secure a sustainable acting career.
Instead, his association with Museveni’s character brought unforeseen challenges. Some Ugandans assumed he had political connections or personal wealth, leading to accusations, public hostility, and even physical assault. In 2019, he was attacked after a community football match when players recognized him from the film. His mother, a former actress, suffered a stroke, further compounding the family’s hardship.
How did the actor struggle?
In the years that followed, Mubangizi wrote letters seeking assistance from the President but never received a response. His last known acting role came in 2022 in the film Katera of the Punishment Island.
Muhoozi’s swift public intervention marks a dramatic shift in Mubangizi’s fortunes. It not only promises financial relief but also offers a chance for the actor to rebuild his life and career after years of struggle.
For Muhoozi, the gesture serves as both an act of compassion and a symbolic nod to his father’s legacy — stepping in to aid the man who once portrayed him on screen. For Uganda’s film industry, it is a sobering reminder of how quickly the spotlight can fade, and how vulnerable even the most celebrated talents can become once the cameras stop rolling.
