Hannington Bugingo

Towards his second year of university, Bugingo went to Mbale to do his practical exams. "We were performing a play titled The Bear and I was the lead actor. The audience applauded me quite a lot. They were impressed with my acting so I convinced myself that I could act."[2] It was after the play that his then-lecturer, Philip Luswata, approached him and suggested the idea of forming a theatre group. When they went back to Kampala, Bugingo, together with Phillip Luswata, Kwezi Kaganda, Farouq Twesigye, Frobisha Lwanga, Faith Kimuli, and Julius Lugaya met and formed Theatre Factory.[2] The group's first performance was in mid-September 2003 in front of only fifteen people, comprising the owner and staff members of his workplace. Initially, they were paid with a meal of plain chips only because the owner said he had invested in that project and didn't have money to pay them.[3]

In 2006, Bugingo acted as the Minister of Health's bodyguard in The Last King of Scotland , starring Forest Whitaker and Kerry Washington. In the same year, he acted as Ragos in a short film called Roho alongside Lupita Nyong'o.[4]

On the set of Roho. L–R: Hannington Bugingo, Ayub, Sam Ibanda, Lupita Nyong'o

In 2008, Bugingo acted in Kiwani as Kaggwa[5] beside Juliana Kanyomozi. Together with Henry H Ssali, he also co-directed the movie.[6][7] While still with Theatre Factory, he joined Scanad Uganda Limited, an advertising agency, in 2008. He worked there until 2011, when Metropolitan Republic headhunted him as a copy writer.[8] It was during this time that Bugingo won a bronze medal with Metropolitan Republic at The Loerie Awards for the MTN SIM card registration campaign.[9][10]

In January 2010, Bugingo, together with thirteen other members, after a disagreement with the administration of Theatre Factory, broke away and formed a new group called Fun Factory Uganda. He became its general manager.[11][2][12]

In 2013, Bugingo quit his job as a creative strategist at Metropolitan Republic to concentrate on Fun Factory Uganda and the advertising agency that he and his friends had opened, called KIB Marketing and Advertising Agency.[13]

In 2015, he produced the film Situka. "The project, meant to encourage youths to 'stand up' (Situka) for their rights, think of the future...is a story that covers the entire country, Africa, and the globe".[14]

In February 2019, The Uganda Comedians Association (TUCA) was formed and Bugingo was elected as the founding president, while promising to wipe out vulgarity from the comedy industry.[15][1] As TUCA head, he wrote to president Yoweri Museveni to push for enforcement of copyright law to protect the works of Ugandan artists.[16]

In 2020, Bugingo raised money to launch the career of up-and-coming artist Razor Blade Lutabalala.[17]