Comedian poised to be Mbarara mayor
Mr Robert Mugabe, aka Kakyebezi. PHOTO BY Colleb Mugume
What you need to know:
Mayoral race. The political wind of change that swept across the country last week has brought a man who has for the last 13 years been making a living as a comedian, very close to taking Mbarara Mayoral seat. Following his victory in the NRM primaries, Mr Robert Mugabe aka Kakyebezi, the DJ popular for his comic presentations on Radio West and emceeing at parties, is poised to become Mayor of Mbarara Municipality, the metropolis of western region
A man with no known leadership or management experience to his name, a political novice, Mr Robert Mugabe beat five seasoned politicians and business managers in town in the race for Mbarara mayoral seat.
The talk in town is that he has brought down the mighty Mr Wilson Tumwine, who has been mayor since 2001.
Mr Mugabe polled 11,991 votes while Mr Tumwiine got 7,133 votes. Hajj Rashid Mukasa, a long serving chairperson for Kakoba Division, came third with 5,391 votes while Ms Mary Katushabe, the only woman in the race got 2,712 votes.
Ms Katushabe is the former regional manager at the Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development South Western. Mr Senex Agaba, Mr Apollo Kibira and Mr Stephen Mugisha, prominent businessmen, got 866 votes, 346 votes and 132 votes respectively. Mr Kakyebezi who spoke to Daily Monitor on the sidelines of the NRM party delegates’ conference at Namboole National Stadium in Kampala on Sunday, said he won despite having no financier in the elections that have become so commercialised.
“I did not have money but this was done by the voters and God. People contributed money for fuel, that’s how I was able to move,” he said.
On what he thinks led to his victory, Mr Kakyebezi says, “I have been a people’s person. Secondly, people decided to choose someone who is free of conflicts.”
Mr Mugabe was born and raised in rural villages of Rukungiri, Kiruhura and Ntungamo districts. He came to Mbarara in 2002 from Kazo Modern High where he had been a history teacher for three years. Alongside his teaching job, Mr Mugabe would also work as master of ceremonies at parties and public functions. Former Radio West manager and now Resident District Commissioner Lyantonde Suleiman Tuguragara Matojo, recruited him to become a presenter and DJ.
“He used to work in Kazo MP John Nasasira’s political camp. He was his agent; Mr Nasasira who was one of the directors of Radio West, recommended him to me that he is good at comedy, emceeing and that he makes people laugh,” says Mr Matojo.
The RDC says Mr Mugabe was given a comic show on the radio called Akagwe (loosely translated to mean bizarre) and he did it very well. He says he was at first employed as freelancer, earning very little money but he persevered.
“The radio had just started and was making little money. He accepted it and even worked very hard. He scooped gifts for the good performance. We realised he was a very good commentator and he is one of those people we used to comment during World Cup football matches,” he says.
Mr Mugabe would later be given other segments and programmes that suited his creativity, including Wagahuriire (have you heard the news) and Owakutanga’heru (early riser), which he has been doing before he joined electve politics.
“He is one of the longest serving employees of Radio West. I never saw in him any political ambition,” says Mr Matojo, adding, “He was, however, very close to politicians because of jokes on radio. He would make fun of them, imitate them. He became a friend of politicians because they wanted to hang out with him so that he speaks about them while on air,” he says.
Mr Grayson Barekye , the director Kazo Modern High School, where Mr Mugabe taught, said about him: “He was with us for three-four years. He is very hard working. He came from a very humble family and being the elder boy, he was the bread winner. He established a clinic in a place called Kabingo in Buremba Sub-county on the border of Kazo (Kiruhura) with Kamwenge District.
He would leave Nyabushozi Parents High School, ride 20 kilometres to our school, and after lessons, he would ride another 35 kilometres further ahead to his wife’s clinic. He would ride again in the wee hours of morning to come back to our school and teach, after teaching he would ride further to go to Nyabushozi Parents High School where he was headmaster. He begun with us as a part timer, later he became a full time teacher and deputy headmaster.
He was liked by students because of being comic, he made lessons fun and students never wanted to miss. I took Mr Mugabeezi to Minister Nasasira who immediately wrote him a letter to work with the radio. He did wonderfully and his programme Akagwe made Radio West very popular.”
Mr Patrick Kabagambe whom he worked with at Radio West says he is a social fellow whom one can easily find hanging out with his friends at bars like Rwampara, Coffee Bar, The Heat and other entertainment places. in town.
Who is Robert mugabe
Mr Robert Mugabe aka Kakyebezi was born in Kakibaaya, Kebisoni Sub- county in Rukungiri District in1974. He went to Kantaganya Primary School in Kitongole Kanoni, Kazo County in Kiruhura District. He joined Makobore High School where he studied up to Senior Three and joined Nyakagyeme Secondary School where he completed O-Level.
He went to Rugarama Secondary School in Ntungamo District for A-Level, and enrolled for a Diploma in Secondary Education at National Teachers’ College Kabale, graduating in 1998. He taught at Kazo Modern High School in Kazo County and Nyabushozi High School in Kashongi Nyabushozi.
Mr Mugabe joined Radio West in Mbarara in 2002 as a presenter and DJ. In 2012 he enrolled for Bachelor of Social Works and Social Administration studies at Bishop Stuart University in Mbarara, and graduated on October 16, 2015. He worked at Radio West until he was elected NRM flag bearer Mbarara mayoral seat on October 28. He has a wife and three children. They live in Kisenyi, Kakoba Division Mbarara Municipality.
