Dr Jose Chameleone performing after grabbing the microphone from Minister Ruth Nankabirwa who was the chief guest at the Saba saba concert at the Cricket oval in Lugogo. PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
Singer Jose Chameleone made headlines when he grabbed the microphone from Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa in the middle of her speech at the Saba Saba concert held last Friday night.
It all started with mixed voices from the audience with some revelers heckling the Kiboga Woman Member of Parliament with a few voices chanting People Power, a political pressure group led by the Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine.
The Afro Beat artiste real name Joseph Mayanja then jumped on the staged and grabbed a microphone from the MP who was left gawking and he said “This is our Moment. We thank you honorable. I think that is enough from you. Let us move on,” as he went on with the performance.
Chameleone has, however, explained that he didn’t not intend to be that ‘undisciplined’ but he was not informed about the MP’s speech at his concert.
“Honorable chief whip, I apologize to you because am personally a good man. I didn’t do nothing to touch your emotions, or demean or disrespect your office. What happened is we didn’t have this thing communicated. They did not communicate to me that there was another honorable in the building who was supposed to give a speech,” Chameleone said.
He also said that his adrenaline was high at the particular moment when she was invited on stage and he did not want to lose the high energy after the speech.
“My adrenaline was so high and I did not know how long she was going to stay on stage. As professional artistes, we draw graphs of the music. That show started on a high pitch with songs like Kipepewo then we took it to a valley with songs like Katupakase..So she came at a time when my show was rising. My patience was less. I pumped up and my adrenaline could not wait any other second,” he passionately explained.
Music promoter Balaam Barugahare (left) escorting Minister Ruth Nankabirwa after making a speech at the Saba saba concert at the cricket oval on Friday. PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
He likened the moment to a power-charged boxing match when one opponent is about to give the other a knock out then he is asked to pause as the coach wants to tell him something. Kills the vibe, right?
“Honourable, I did not do nothing because of political reasons. She is my friend. We have been together in Seattle. She is my neighbor in Akright and she has a high office. People ae trying to flip it around to say Chameleone wanted to favour Bobi Wine but for me it was about my show. I didn’t want to mess it up,”
He has disputed claims that he grabbed the microphone to ridicule the MP since he later gave the same microphone to MP Bobi Wine.
“I just looked through the crowd and saw Bobi Wine, then I called him up as an artiste. I did not call him for any political reasons. If you remember I was very clear. I told everybody who was wearing those red beret to take them off. We came on stage, played about with him as friends,” Chameleone said.
He has asked the event promoters and organiserd to notify him before the show and said that he was also trying to save her from humiliation
“You saw the way people were reacting. They had begun throwing bottles though the speakers. I was trying to save myself and her being a victim of the hooligans so I really pass my apologies,” he said.