The winner of the Primus Guma Guma Superstar  Tom Close, will officially receive his prize during a press conference to be held at Top Tower Hotel, today.

This was announced by Joseph Mushyoma, the CEO of the East African Promoters, a company that partnered with Bralirwa to organise the musical contest.

Tom Close, real name Thomas Muyombo is a talented singer, songwriter and performer. He is two-time Salax Awards winner.

Despite the scuffle that occurred during the grand finale on July 30, Tom Close refuted allegations that he was a target.

"People are trying to dramatise issues. My life was not at risk because I won the competition. I am fine! In fact, after I was declared the winner, I went out with my fans to celebrate and even slept home,” Tom Close said.  

From the onset, when the road shows kicked off on May 14,, they did not fall short on entertainment and memorable moments.

Despite all the conspiracy theories, Tom Close deserved his spot as the winner of the Primus Guma Guma Superstar. Reason: the winner of the show, according to the competition’s regulations, was the one with the highest votes.

Probably, he may not be have been the most famous Rwandan artiste before, but he managed to clearly  lay out his strategy. 

Peter Gakuba remarked: "Tom Close’s fans were determined to support him to win. They had to vote Tom Close everyday and also asked their colleagues to put in a vote for him.”

The National University of Rwanda medical student’s fans were serious about their tasks.

"The competition was very hard and each contender was optimistic of winning. I worked very hard and did various performances to campaign for the votes. I also kept on reminding people to vote for me,” Tom Close said.

He added: "Those who claim that I won deceitfully should go and ask the organisers for the results; I will surrender the title to the 1st runner-up if I am found guilty.”

Tom Close said that although such misconduct among fans are common in all competitions, including football, fans should behave themselves because the act might discourage potential sponsors from supporting Rwandan artistes to improve their career.

"I was scared to express my excitement because people were throwing stones on stage. But I thank all my fans for their continued support ---They are the reason I am who I am today. I also thank God for the talent and inspiration.”

It is no longer news that some Rwandans were upset by the fact that their favourite contestant King James missed out on the Primus’ prize. It is worrying that they believed that the singer was ‘popular’ and as such was a definitive winner.

They expressed their frustration by the many boos and jeers during the show and went a step further to put on chaotic scenes after the show.

The question that should be on the lips of King James’ fans should be: Did he get the mandatory public votes to emerge a winner?

Speaking to The New Times, King James said he was unable to perform well during the closing night was because he was sick. However, he confessed that he was disappointed for failing to win the competition. 

Mushyoma said the fans’ reaction at the show did not discourage the organisers from continuing to support Rwandan artistes.

"We were not discouraged by the fact that people acted that way, and as a matter of fact we are planning to organise the 2nd edition of PGGSS. But we shocked because normally, Rwandans are not known for such awful acts,” Mushyoma added.

Ends