Jose Chameleone’s chopper had no time for questions

Jose Chameleone arrived at Lugogo in a helicopter, but when it came to answering journalists’ questions, the music star seemed to have landed on a very tight schedule.

At Monday’s press conference to announce his December concert, The Final Chapter, the singer kept glancing pensively at Bar Aviation officials, leaving journalists wondering whether the questions-and-answers session had been allocated any airtime at all.

The media had waited, questions were piling up, and the man of the moment appeared to be running out of time. Before journalists could fully unpack the controversies surrounding his health, marriage and property, Chameleone was already signalling that it was time to leave.

It was a case of the helicopter being ready for take-off while the press was still waiting for clearance. The singer, however, had plenty to say about his critics.

For days, social media had been buzzing with videos of Chameleone walking and standing at a recent event. Some fans expressed concern about his movements, while others linked them to an accident he reportedly suffered in Tanzania after falling from a storage building.

Then came the online speculation about his estranged wife, Daniella Atim, and claims that he had sold their matrimonial home in Seguku. Chameleone was clearly not amused.

In a recent TikTok livestream, he paraded his Akright home and a newly acquired Brabus before driving to Seguku to disprove claims that he had sold the property. He showed viewers renovations taking place at the house, peppering his rebuttal with choice words for the bloggers and critics.

At Monday’s press conference, the singer was still not ready to let the matter rest.

“My legs were in pain. It had rained, and my shoes had soaked, so I felt a little uncomfortable,” he explained, addressing the video that had triggered online debate.

He insisted that the way he walked was his business and reminded Ugandans that he was an international brand and a tourist attraction who deserved respect.

Jose Chameleone Addresing Members Of The Media During The Press Conference At Lugogo Cricket Oval. Photo By Ignatius Kamya

Chameleone also credited Bar Aviation for stepping in after the online trolling, claiming the company did not want to see its superstar continue being ridiculed.

He thanked the aviation company for flying him to the press conference, adding that his critics were hardly in a position to compete with him, particularly those who had never set foot on a plane.

That was the celebrity treatment Chameleone wanted the public to appreciate. But for journalists at Lugogo, the bigger question was whether the superstar had enough time for the very people expected to tell his story.

While Chameleone was busy addressing his critics, his concert organiser, Biggie Events, revealed that she planned to borrow money from a savings and credit cooperative organisation (SACCO) to finance the December 4 show at Lugogo Cricket Oval.

The event manager said her friendship with the singer was a major reason she had agreed to take on the concert, despite the financial risks associated with staging big music events.

She recalled how Chameleone stood by her when she was arrested and detained over debts arising from the organisation of Lord Fred Sebatta’s concert at Kampala Serena Hotel in December 2024.

“He was one of the artistes who helped me get out of prison when I was arrested and detained for not clearing the money owed to different service providers,” she said.