Mak Dean Drives A Shs200m Merc

CAPTION: Prof. Balya's Merc Benz GL 500 4Matic

This Mercedes Benz GL500 4Matic model 2007 is one classy car!
And not just in the latest Merc department but this one of Mr Valencia Balya, is an exclusive one.
And Balya who is the dean of communication, information and technology at Makerere University pulls out some moves in it.
Last Saturday, Rafshizzle watched free drama when Mr Balya had gone for the KFM Hard Talk show in Namuwongo but fellow guests and the show host Simon Kasyate wanted to have a ‘feel’ of the car.
Balya told Kasyate that he (Kasyate) couldn’t even start it. Kasyate wanted to prove the professor wrong but he ended up looking ridiculous when he asked for the keys yet actually the car is started with a thumb.
The professor placed his thumb on a feeler near the dashboard and the car started instantly hence leaving everybody astounded. Then he told them that anybody could start it if the owner was inside. And that it has a place for the key but the thumb can lock it and the key becomes useless.
The car costs between Shs150 million and Shs170 million, however, with a lot of “pimping the ride” the professor could have paid more than that.
A source told Rafshizzle that Prof. Balya parted with Shs260 to have the car made specially for him.
It also has a personalised number plate with only the letter U.
Actually, it has a lot of expensive things in and on it, however, it seems this car rarely goes to the washing bay. It’s always dirty!
What a contrast!

Lucky Dube murder case postponed

CAPTION: Lucky Dube's teenage daughters read a message before mourners

The four men accused of killing reggae star Lucky Dube appeared briefly in a Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Tuesday, Oct 30.
They appeared before Magistrate Pieter du Plessis, who postponed the case to November 30 for further investigation.
Media reports from South Africa indicate that Mozambicans Sifiso Mahlangu and Julius Gxowa, and South Africans Thabo Maropeng and Mabuti Mabe are the suspects facing charges of murder, attempted hijacking and the possession of two unlicensed firearms and stolen property.
The four are yet to bring formal bail applications after the state opposed bail during their first appearance last week. They remain in custody in the Johannesburg Central police station cells.
Hope things end properly…

Are you ready to witch at Pa Lui?

CAPTION: Some of the Halloween masks

The witching day is upon us.

And all is set as far as Rafshizzle is concerned.
Don’t get carried away – I’m not a witch of course you know – I’m talking Halloween.
As the day draws in and the devils draw out their swords...Rafshizzle just thought it would be important to inform you that this Thursday November 1 is Halloween Nite at Club Pa Lui in Ntinda.
For some of us who have attended some Halloween Nights, we know what happens there…
I mean, there come creepy creatures who make your blood turn cold.
In true spooky fashion, even the famous faces morph themselves from their beautiful faces we know and love...she is a beauty you are not only familiar with but also fancy but hell she wears a creepy face and you are disgusted.
Why say everything when you can come and witness for yourself what is in the house of horrors?
The party is moreover for free and it starts at 6 p.m. until late in the night.
Brave it if you dare...

Chameleone shuns MTV EMAs for Neds concert

Ugandan music star and MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) nominee Jose Chameleone is set to miss the MTV EMAs ceremony scheduled for November 1 in Munich, Germany.
Rafshizzle has learnt that the MTV organisers told Chameleone to pay for his flight and accommodation fares to attend the ceremony but the hoarse-voiced star rejected and opted to perform in Amsterdam on Friday (a day after the MTV EMAs).
The Amsterdam concert will be held at the Grand Café behind the Heineken Music Hall.
David Michael Onen, a Ugandan based in Amsterdam, told Rafshizzle through e-mail that he could hardly wait for the “highly-anticipated” Chameleone concert.
“I have been able to follow the BBAII from here but now I am just about to feel Ugandan, when Chameleone performs here in Amsterdam this Friday,” said Onen.

Minister Kibirige Ssebunya gets jiggy

Kibirige Ssebunya is renowned for taking a pride in the number of academic degrees under his pillow but Rafshizzle would like to remind him of his other title – king dancer.
Well, don’t argue if you were not at Club Obbligato for the Afrigo band’s homecoming concert.
Kibirige Ssebunya was beside himself with joy at the concert. The state minister for agriculture who loves to wear a goatee is an avid fun and to show it, he jumped onto stage to show off his agility via dance. It could have been triggered by seeing the band’s diva Joanita Kawalya but then again it could also have had everything to do with Rachel Magoola’s guest appearance. The Afrigo Band breakaway reunited with her former bandmates to sing that enduring Lusoga folktale rendition Obangaina. A tickled Ssebunya could not let the opportunity pass and joined the two singing ladies taking them through a paka chini, paka juu routine. And much to the revellers delight, the minister does not have two left feet. Could it be that he will be a dancer in his other life? He sure has an antidote for those dreary cabinet meetings that we hear go on into the wee hours.

Does Phina Need a Wardrobe Help

“It is hard out there on the streets. The shops get so busy and people can make you uneasy when you go shopping, so it can be tempting to just stick to one blouse and jeans, run for the shows and you rock.”
So that is the excuse Rafshizzle is passing on to Phina Mugerwa to use, to help explain away her typical faux pas.
If anyone asks why you never change your clothing at shows Phina, tell them you put on in a rush and ends up picking the same clothes.Rafshizzle has been observing Phina Mugerwa for over nine months now and honestly the lady performs in the same white top and a pair of red “torn” jeans. If it’s your wardrobe that is small, Rafshizzle is offering an extra top and pair of jeans for change’s sake

Kevin Lyttle to ‘turn on the crowd’

Story by Edgar Batte

If you thought the curtains had fallen on the wave of foreign artistes gracing the local stage, then you probably need to think again, may be hear this. Well, after doing his rounds and earning enormous airplay, St. Vincent born star Kevin Lyttle will be coming to Uganda this December.
The Turn Me On star will be turning the hit wave at two concerts, on December 7th and 9th at venues yet to be confirmed. The star will be coming down courtesy of ‘Sleek Promotions International’ and word on the vine has it that Kevin Lyttle might also be coming with dancehall star Spragga Benz who features in his hit Turn Me On, his first big single released in the U.S in 2004 and eventually went Gold in the United States and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kevin Lyttle is also famed for other chart busters like ‘Last Drop’, ‘Never Wanna Make U Cry’, ‘If You Want Me (Call Me)’, ‘I Got It’, ‘My Lady’, ‘Screaming Out My Name’, ‘Dancing Like Making Love’ and ‘Mama Mia’ among others.
He has just released his third album featuring songs like I Like, Only You and Bruk Out (Feat Problem Child). He is also slated to be on the Miami based DJ GQ’s Album, titled Let Em Know, due out mid 2008.

SAD: Lucky Dube’s Unlucky Day Arrives

CAPTION: Lucky Dube does a gunshot gesture during one of his concerts in the US (Left) and below is his face upclose.

We all know we MUST taste it but HONESTLY nobody can tolerate death…
Well, this morning Ugandans woke up to the sad news of the death of South African reggae legend Lucky Dube, who has a significantly huge following in Uganda.
Media reports from SA indicated that Dube (43) was shot dead by robbers who attacked his car immediately after he had dropped off his son in Rosettenville, a suburb of Johannesburg.
“His son was already out of the car. When he saw what was happening, he ran to ask for help,” Police Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht said.
Rumours are making rounds that Lucky Dube could have been shot on orders of one of his business partners. Lucky Dube was one of the most successful businessmen in Johannesburg.
Actually Lucky Dube was supposed to perform in Kampala on December 8 though he has been demanding that the show is postponed to December 31 (New Year’s Day). Right now nobody can establish who exactly upset or even killed Dube but time will tell the truth…
Considered as Africa’s most popular reggae artist, Lucky Dube toured the world singing about social problems. His songs became hits in Uganda in the late 80s through the 90s and early 2000s. Actually, some of his songs are still hits on local radio stations.
Lucky Dube’s performance at a jam-packed Namboole Stadium in December 1997 is considered the biggest music event Uganda has ever seen. Moreover, he was breaking his own record after a previous concert in Nakivubo Stadium where even some revellers succumbed to heat and force due to the a mammoth turn-up.
Through 21 albums, Dube’s vision encompassed all the extremes of his beloved Africa/black-land: the poverty, slavery, apartheid (in SA) and racism among other problems that Africa has faced. Dube, who approached difficult subjects such as poverty and fatherlessness with inventive technique through music, became one of the towering figures of serious music in Africa. He was probably the greatest African reggae artist, all things considered, and at the time of his death he had just concluded his US tour where he brought the house down in the states of Minnesota, Manhattan, Atlanta Georgia, New Jersey and Chicago.

Elvis akoze what?

CAPTION: Elvis and Kiima during introduction (Left) and below is the couple in Club Silk after Rafshizzle had smoked them out



All hail Radio One presenter RS Elvis.
Rafshizzle feels we need to heap on piles of admiration.
The bloke is gone (I hear Agenze, according to his website www.exitkampala.com)…
Kyoka bannange, I’m sorry to use a lot of Luganda in an English publication but it’s just the best way I could express my delight approximating how President Museveni switches to Swahili to express his anger.
Yes you heard right – Elvis is hitting the aisle come December.
And the wonder of it is that he is not just marrying a woman but a woman who brought dances to a standstill in Silk Royale sometime back – I mean, she is a heartthrob.
Everyone was like ‘who is sipping from this cup of eternal pleasure’ – in fact Rafshizzle had a story and photo of Elvis with the lady and people couldn’t believe what they saw.
But much as your admirations were considered, there has been not a jot of change of her mind and as you read this, Dierdre Kiima has already introduced Elvis in her parents in Seeta along the Kampala-Jinja highway.
The Kwanjula took place over the weekend and even if I wasn’t invited, I don’t feel left out at all.
Frankly, December is just around the corner and remember my eye will still be sharp on the events.
In the meantime I wanna say goodbye:Readers watch the space, Elvis, enjoy.

Mesach Bringing Usher For Concert?

Let me ask this question once again: if you are a top-drawer celeb in Uganda, do you still get star struck by A-listers in the US?
Well, it is Mesach Semakula to answer that little conundrum for us – and his answer is yes.
He may be the one who makes necks turn in Uganda but he is certainly not above a little photo opportunity and autograph hunting.
Especially when it comes to R&B sensation Usher Raymond.
The 2005 Artiste of the Year wasted no time in asking the Grammy Award Winner for his signature at Macy’s in Manhattan where Usher was launching his fragrance ‘master-brand’ called Usher’s He & She on September 27.
“I got a chance to smell Usher’s new fragrance when he had just worn it,” said Mesach, “He is so outgoing and after I had talked to his manager, we agreed that he would perform in Uganda sooner than later.”
Mesach said he asked Usher to sign him an autograph.
“An autograph is the only thing you can show and people believe you met someone,” he said.
But was Usher tempted to ask for Semakula’s autograph, we wonder?

Irene Kiiza’s Spicy Roles

IN ACTION: Kiiza acts a mother in one of the scenes of Down This Road I Walk set for release on Decemeber 21.

Irene Kiiza may just be proof that dreams do come true.
She dreamt of being an actress and, as if by magic...
It seems Kiiza landed the ultimate job.
But fret not, the journalist who helped popularise Daily Monitor magazines Women & Men and Full Woman, won’t have to struggle for identification like, um, those stage actors and actresses.
Oh no, Kiiza is launching her acting career with a bang as she is set to storm our screens through Mariam Ndagire’s pending movie Down This Road I Walk.
Ndagire told Rafshizzle that Kiiza would be on our screens looking for wealth in all corners and she will try selling her daughter to rich men. But remember this is just a film.
Kiiza is one of the film’s five main characters along with Mariam Ndagire, Wawuyo, Luyombya and Sheila.
Kiiza must be delighted. First she will be the one to watch in December when the movie comes out, and now Rafshizzle understands she could be on her way back to Monitor as the Magazines Editor to replace Lillian Barenzi who…huh, I won’t say anything more than that, remember these guys employee me.

Fall Out Boy Video Talks Uganda

ROCKIN THE NORTHERN WORLD: Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman on the set of Me & You video in Uganda

I’m in my sitting room on a Tuesday morning watching MTV and, guess what I see…
The video Me & You by the rock boy band Fall Out Boy (FOB) but mostly I observe the Ugandan scenes in the video and I realise that it’s a Ugandan story then I remember…
FOB first announced their humanitarian trip to Uganda back in May with a plan to raise awareness about the plight of thousands of children displaced by the UPDF Vs LRA warfare and to urge the U.S. government to weigh in on the situation in the hope of stopping the suffering once and for all.
Led by bassist Pete Wentz, the FOB touched down in Uganda in July and they decided that the best way to highlight the plight in northern Uganda was to shoot a video — for the song I’m Like a Lawyer With the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You), a track that doesn't exactly instil one with a sense of international diplomacy.
But the puzzle was on how to make a video that encapsulates two decades of war for a song that’s chiefly about the ins and outs of a relationship gone awry?
But well, the band’s director Alan Ferguson and Invisible Children, the non-profit children’s aid group that sponsored the trip got it right by simply making the video a love story starring a pair of Ugandan teens.
Huh, have you ever seen a love story between IDPs — especially with a rock band — on Total Request Live (TRL) on MTV.
Shot over the course of five days in and around an actual displacement camp in Gulu, the video stars two Ugandan teens who are trying to make love work in a time of war.
“What’s truly groundbreaking is the majority of the video is the story of two young African kids, and what’s great about it is that it’s gonna humanise these people,” Invisible Children co-founder Bobby Bailey said. “I think it will connect to a lot of people. From the moment we arrived here, the kids here were telling us, ‘Please tell our story. And especially let America know about our story because they have a voice in the world, and they can help end this thing.’”
“The plan is to show that and then emphasise the idea that if we sent one senior policy adviser from the U.S. [to Uganda] that there’s greater potential to end the war [now] than ever — but for whatever reason, we’re just not committed to do that,” Wentz added. “Everyone’s been focusing so much attention on our band lately — and so many times, it’s the wrong kind of attention — [but] it’s all right if the cameras follow us to Africa.”
And I’m sure the eyes have also followed from and to Africa…

In Memory of Rakeem Owori

All roads will lead to the legendary Stratford Rex in London this Saturday as Ugandans in the UK mark the 45th Independence in two different ways.
It will be the ordinary Independence Day celebration as well as the remembrance of fallen music promoter Rakeem Owori who died a few weeks ago.
Actually, Rakeem was the one organising this Independence Day concert featuring Jose Chameleone with Tanzania’s Mr Nice and UK-based singing pair Da Twinz, but death never allowed him to fulfil his dream.
However, Chameleone who left Uganda for UK today morning told Rafshizzle, “I’m off to the UK for the show of the late Rakeem Owori. He left a dream behind that needs a fulfilment. It’s at Stratford Rex. Judgement Day is what he (Rakeem) had named it…it’s our task to make his dream come true regardless of where he is today. He did a lot for Ugandan music and he deserves this.”
And as you read this, mails have started flying inviting everybody to celebrate the anniversary of Uganda’s 45th independence (UK) in memory of Rakeem Owor.
Tickets are going for 20 pounds (if you by in advance) and 25 pounds (from the gate).

2face Is Still In Hospital

This doesn’t seem to be the best quarter of 2007 for Nigerian star singer 2face Idibia. Two weeks ago the African Queen singer was traumatised after his plaque for Best African Act Award fell and broke into pieces as he picked during the Mobos event in London.
And to make matters worse, 2face was shot after he had just touched down in Lagos with his broken award from London on October 5.
According to Djabass.com, the armed men opened fire on him between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on 05 October, while the sweet-voiced artiste was on his way home from Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja.
2face was shot on the thigh and was rushed to Cedar Hospital in Festac Town in the Isolo area of Lagos, where he is receiving treatment.
Apparently the gunmen are suspected to be the same armed-robbers that attacked him two years ago.
Nigerian Police has launched investigations into the shooting of the R&B/hip-hop musician and songwriter whose real names are Innocent Ujah Idibia.