Uganda, May 8 -- When songstress Hajarah Namukwaya, alias Spice Diana halted a show in Bukomansimbi and walked off with sound equipment in lieu of unpaid fees, it was easy to dismiss the moment as another flash of celebrity drama. But behind the spectacle, of a star confronting organisers and seizing gear, lay a deeper, persistent fault line in Uganda's entertainment industry: a fragile, often informal system where payment is promised, negotiated, delayed, and sometimes never honoured.

What unfolded that night was not an isolated incident. It was a public eruption of a problem many artistes, deejays, dancers and emcees say they quietly endure.Across Uganda's live events circuit, performance deals often begin with what insiders describe a...