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KAMPALA — Music promoter Nyanzi Martin Luther, popularly known as Promoter Blockboy, has attributed Dr Jose Chameleone’s enduring position at the top of Uganda’s music industry to his calmness and ability to welcome people regardless of their status.

 

Blockboy, who has worked with several Ugandan musicians, including Chameleone, said the veteran singer’s character has played an important role in sustaining his influence in the industry.

 

“What has made Chameleone to be leading Uganda’s music to date is being calm and welcoming everyone as you are,” Blockboy said.

 

He said Chameleone welcomed him warmly when they eventually met despite having never met physically before.

 

“Chameleone welcomed me in a way I could never expect even though we had never met. We used to do business remotely,” he said.

 

Blockboy entered music promotion in 2025 after spending the previous year studying the industry and building relationships with artists and other players.

 

Unlike promoters who mainly organise concerts and other events, he said his work focuses on music distribution and helping artists secure radio airplay.

 

He has worked with both established and upcoming artists, including Green Daddy, Da Agent and Gloria Bugie, alongside Chameleone.

 

Blockboy said his collaborations with artists are based on agreements reached by both parties.

 

He also identified pride as one of the challenges affecting some musicians, particularly those who begin to consider themselves successful after releasing a few songs.

 

“What makes musicians fail is being proud when you haven’t made it,” he said.

 

He cited an artist from his village who released one song, became proud and subsequently failed to build a lasting career from the early exposure.

 

Blockboy said musicians need to remain focused, continue promoting their work and build relationships within the industry if they are to sustain their careers.

 

His comments on Chameleone come as he continues to position himself in the music industry as a promoter focused on distribution and airplay rather than event organisation.

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By Brian Mugenyi

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KAMPALA – History has been made as 11 contestants gear up for the Miss Tourism East Africa pageant to be held at Marriott Hotel in Kampala.

On Sunday, the contestants entered intensive training under the stewardship of Mr. Allan Kanyike, the Director of Miss Tourism East Africa in Uganda.

The group is led by Uganda’s Babra Tushabe and includes contestants from across the region. South Sudan’s representatives include Kurita Rogan and Bahata Joyce, among others. By press time, Uganda, Kenya, DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan had all been represented.

According to Mr. Kanyike, who started as a Miss Tourism contestant and is now an international trainer, this year’s competition is more than just beauty.

“This is a Beauty with Purpose competition. It’s not only about beautiful girls, but about beauty with brains — girls who will be ambassadors of change in their communities,” he said.

The pageant is being positioned as a global platform to market culture, beauty and community transformation.

“I want to participate in Miss Tourism because I want to help orphans in South Sudan through the platform I will get from this event,” said South Sudan contestant Rygan Kurita.

Kurita, a journalist passionate about environment and tourism, said early marriages and a high number of orphans remain major challenges in South Sudan. She hopes to use the platform to inspire young girls in her community.

The five-star Marriott Hotel has been turned into a training centre for the pageant, with early preparations already attracting sponsors and investors.

Mr. Kanyike said the training is designed to build self-esteem, confidence and fitness for the competition.

“The girls are carrying the flags of their countries on their backs. We are tipping them to be confident and to ensure their cultures and countries are well represented,” he said.

The contestants, mostly in their early 20s, were taken through drills aimed at building confidence and cultural awareness.

The grand finale is expected to attract thousands and will be attended by reigning Miss Tourism title holders from different countries. Tickets are available at Marriott Hotel and at the Federation of Uganda Social Media Influencers offices in Munyonyo, next to Jahaz, under Mr. Edison Kirabira.

“Miss Tourism East Africa is a Beauty with Purpose event for this year,” Kanyike added.

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By Brian Mugenyi

On the surface, Mathias Mpuuga and Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi are two political lions from opposite sides of Uganda’s ideological divide. Both have survived bruising battles, shaped national debate, and occupied offices from which few politicians return unchanged.

One rose through the opposition trenches to become Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. The other traveled from Bukoto Central to the apex of the state, serving as Speaker of Parliament and Vice President of Uganda.

Yet beneath these contrasting identities lies a common denominator: Masaka.

A recent photograph of Mpuuga and Ssekandi engaged in quiet conversation captures more than just two politicians meeting. It shows Masaka’s political past meeting its political present. There are no party colors in the frame. No microphones. No cheering crowds. Just two statesmen talking—and in Ugandan politics, the quietest conversations carry the loudest questions.

Mpuuga built his footprint in Masaka through youth skilling, community mobilization, sports, and local leadership before entering Parliament. He represented Masaka Municipality, later Nyendo-Mukungwe, and ultimately became a formidable voice of opposition. His trajectory—marked by his transition from the National Unity Platform to the Democratic Front—is a story of political rise, rupture, reinvention, and survival.

Ssekandi represents the establishment’s enduring presence. Serving Bukoto Central for 25 years after contributing to the 1995 Constitution, he became one of Masaka’s most powerful political exports. Beyond legislative advocacy for infrastructure and agriculture, his decision to donate land in Kyanamukaka for the Masaka District headquarters anchored his physical legacy in the region.

Different methods. Different generations. One district.

Mpuuga and Ssekandi are almost political polar opposites, yet neither can tell his story without mentioning Masaka. That shared geography is the bridge.

Their meeting highlights a pressing question: what becomes of opposition politics when its key figures engage the ruling establishment?

One reading views such encounters with suspicion, fearing co-option. A more nuanced view recognizes that seasoned politicians can engage across lines without surrendering core principles. Opposition is not defined by perpetual hostility, but by the ability to scrutinize power and offer credible alternatives. Meanwhile, a functional democracy requires dialogue; government and opposition must retain the capacity to speak to one another.

Mpuuga understands the power, fractures, and volatility of opposition movements, as well as the sobering reality of electoral defeat. That experience refines a politician. Ssekandi brings deep institutional memory, having navigated decades of political cycles as a constitutional drafter, Speaker, and Vice President. He understands how political tides rise, fall, and occasionally bring former adversaries to the same table.

This encounter should not be mistaken for a political deal. The photograph alone does not signal Mpuuga joining the ruling party or Ssekandi recruiting him. However, political realignments rarely begin at press conferences—they often start quietly, with two leaders realizing the divide is not as wide as it appears from a campaign platform.

Uganda does not need an opposition that merely hates the government, nor a government that fears every critical voice. It needs a political culture where power can be challenged without demonization, and engagement occurs without co-option.

Ssekandi speaks; Mpuuga listens. No crowd stands between them. The photograph leaves us with a lingering question: Can Uganda’s political generations engage across party lines to serve the national interest without losing their identity?

Two lions from different territories are now sitting close enough to hear each other. Whether this is simply a courteous exchange between two political veterans or the quiet beginning of a new chapter, Masaka is once again where Uganda’s political story is being written.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are back in Britain, but they are not returning as working royals.

King Charles has formally confirmed that the couple remain non-working members of the Royal Family following their return to the United Kingdom last month.

The King directed the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Benyon, to send guidance to senior government, military and other officials after receiving several requests for clarification about Harry and Meghan’s status.

The message was clear.

It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Harry and Meghan stepped down from official royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States.

Their return to Britain after six years sparked fresh speculation about whether they could eventually take on some form of royal role again.

King Charles has now ruled that out.

The couple will continue their charitable and commercial work independently, rather than carrying out official duties for the Royal Family.

The guidance also confirms that Harry and Meghan will continue to use the titles Duke and Duchess of Sussex, while their His and Her Royal Highness styles remain in abeyance and are not used.

In other words, Harry and Meghan can build a life in Britain without becoming working royals again.

Their return home changes where they live, but it does not change their place within the Royal Family.