Chameleon Blows Sh 500m
Everyone has an item or thing outside their family that is closest to their heart.
By Sebidde Kiryowa
and Josephat Sseguya
Everyone has an item or thing outside their family that is closest to their heart.
For singer Jose Chameleone, a two-time winner of the coveted Artiste of the Year accolade at the Pearl of Africa (PAM) Awards, the most prized possession is his dogs. He simply adores these canine beasts. He owns up to seven different species ranging from labradors, poodles to German shepherds.
By virtue of his trade, Chameleone is one to get home late. What with all the late night concerts and club performances? But, as he cruises home in the misty freezing cold air of the early morning, it is not his warm bed that is on his mind. It is probably not even his lovely girlfriend at that particular time. It is the well-being of his dogs!
“The first thing I do when I pull over in the drive-way is to call my dogs, each by name. If everything is perfect, I will then go to bed,†he says.
And when he wakes up, his dogs are the first thing on his mind. Before even taking breakfast, Chameleone dashes down stairs to the kennel to check on them. And if he is in the mood, he will feed them himself.
“I cannot comfortably sit at the dinning table to have breakfast when the poor fellows are snarling with hunger,†he says.
“When I am sure they have had their fill, I will have appetite for my own breakfast. If they are hungry, I am hungry too,†he says.
Because his work involves a lot of travelling, Chameleone employs a caretaker for his dogs, who ensures they are all comfortable. He has to feed, bathe, let them in and out of their kennels, cater for their medical needs and train them.
Training them is very important for Chameleone because they are much more than beasts that protect his sh500m-worth double-storey house atop the panoramic Seguku hill. They are friends, companions and family.
And, in the Chameleone house, everyone pays their dues. Home chores are compulsory. These animal fellows are no exception and get their fair share of domestic assignments.
Lucy is the poodle with a big white and lovely fur. She is the lucky one who never gets her paws dirty. Her job is to keep Chameleone’s seven-months-old son, and second born, Abba Marcus, company. “She knows she is required to play with him and ensure he is entertained,†Chameleone says. Abba, on the other hand seems to love every moment of it. He stretches his little fragile hands and touches the frisky little animal, who in turn does some acrobatics for him, sending the baby shaking with innocent laughter.
The other dogs’ duties vary between keeping watch on the house and entertaining Chameleone’s visitors. But Jones, a big white male, is specially charged with entertaining his master. He particularly plays football with him.
However, dogs are not all there is to Chameleone’s giant and luxury 10-room home in Seguku, off Entebbe Road, five miles from Kampala.
He took us on a little guided tour and boy, for a 27-year-old singer in Uganda, Chameleone lives large! What strikes you first, is how hi-tech his house is. He uses computerised keycards for keys. He uses intercoms to communicate within the house and with his next-door neighbour. The house has a small foyer. The doors, made from fine pine and the windows and sliding doors, were specially ordered from Casements (U) Limited.
The floor tiles are well-polished and glistening granite (mainly used for work tops and thrice as expensive as the ceramic tiles). The living room is spacious and fitted with a fine piece of upholstery and luxurious leather sofas. A huge photo of Ayla, Chameleone’s first daughter glares at you from above his mantle piece, which is fitted with different musical accolades. There is also a photo of him greeting president Yoweri Museveni.
There are also different pieces of expensive artifacts and souvenirs that the singer has gathered on his exploits around the globe. Chameleone travels to the US at least twice a year; performs in at least five countries in Europe; has been to Canada and other African countries.
A wall cabinet bares a gigantic 42-inch flat plasma television screen worth sh18m with a DVD player and DStv decoder right above. The entire living room and indeed house, is fixed with tutors which play music from this central point. All the rooms in the house have got TV sets that feed off the central DStv decoder as well.
From here, a door leads out to a library, which is not yet well stocked but impressive nonetheless. For now, it mainly has romance and adventure novels. The library also has a long multi-purpose chair that he turns into a bed and sleeps if he gets tired of reading. That saves him the trouble of going upstairs to sleep.
Another door from the living room leads to his Leone Island music-recording studio. The studio cost him up to sh40m to build.
“A lot of money was used in sound- proofing the studio and buying that expensive machinery. I had to do it because I produce my music at home,†Chameleone says as he plays a guitar in his studio.
From here, one can also access the gym, which is fitted with all sorts of body building equipment, from treadmills and weights to stretchers. The kitchen can be accessed through the dinning room but he is yet to fully furnish it.
There is also an air-conditioned bar with a counter and all sorts of wines and spirits. Upstairs is where Chameleone’s bedroom is together with others. It is a spacious self-contained affair with sliding doors that lead out to the terrace. The terrace is decorated with plants and commands a panoramic view that stretches from the foothills of Seguku hill all the way to the blue waters of Lake Victoria.
It also overlooks a young and well mowed lawn punctuated by young palm trees. From up here, you can see the grand entrance –– the gate to the house built with an overhead concrete arch.
The house also has a back porch from where one can see Chameleone’s luxurious vehicles –– two BMWs and a Toyota Hiace parked.
His bathroom is exquisite. It is fitted with the OW-A11 bathroom (like the one we saw in Mukula’s house.
This comes with an FM radio, telephone shower, phone, steam bath, mixer, fan, a mirror, room for toiletries and complete lighting. It must have taken him back by about sh3m to build.
All this and Chameleone is not close to satisfaction: “I have spent sh500m so far on this house and I am putting more money,†he promises. “The next stage is fitting surveillance cameras around my house.â€
and Josephat Sseguya
Everyone has an item or thing outside their family that is closest to their heart.
For singer Jose Chameleone, a two-time winner of the coveted Artiste of the Year accolade at the Pearl of Africa (PAM) Awards, the most prized possession is his dogs. He simply adores these canine beasts. He owns up to seven different species ranging from labradors, poodles to German shepherds.
By virtue of his trade, Chameleone is one to get home late. What with all the late night concerts and club performances? But, as he cruises home in the misty freezing cold air of the early morning, it is not his warm bed that is on his mind. It is probably not even his lovely girlfriend at that particular time. It is the well-being of his dogs!
“The first thing I do when I pull over in the drive-way is to call my dogs, each by name. If everything is perfect, I will then go to bed,†he says.
And when he wakes up, his dogs are the first thing on his mind. Before even taking breakfast, Chameleone dashes down stairs to the kennel to check on them. And if he is in the mood, he will feed them himself.
“I cannot comfortably sit at the dinning table to have breakfast when the poor fellows are snarling with hunger,†he says.
“When I am sure they have had their fill, I will have appetite for my own breakfast. If they are hungry, I am hungry too,†he says.
Because his work involves a lot of travelling, Chameleone employs a caretaker for his dogs, who ensures they are all comfortable. He has to feed, bathe, let them in and out of their kennels, cater for their medical needs and train them.
Training them is very important for Chameleone because they are much more than beasts that protect his sh500m-worth double-storey house atop the panoramic Seguku hill. They are friends, companions and family.
And, in the Chameleone house, everyone pays their dues. Home chores are compulsory. These animal fellows are no exception and get their fair share of domestic assignments.
Lucy is the poodle with a big white and lovely fur. She is the lucky one who never gets her paws dirty. Her job is to keep Chameleone’s seven-months-old son, and second born, Abba Marcus, company. “She knows she is required to play with him and ensure he is entertained,†Chameleone says. Abba, on the other hand seems to love every moment of it. He stretches his little fragile hands and touches the frisky little animal, who in turn does some acrobatics for him, sending the baby shaking with innocent laughter.
The other dogs’ duties vary between keeping watch on the house and entertaining Chameleone’s visitors. But Jones, a big white male, is specially charged with entertaining his master. He particularly plays football with him.
However, dogs are not all there is to Chameleone’s giant and luxury 10-room home in Seguku, off Entebbe Road, five miles from Kampala.
He took us on a little guided tour and boy, for a 27-year-old singer in Uganda, Chameleone lives large! What strikes you first, is how hi-tech his house is. He uses computerised keycards for keys. He uses intercoms to communicate within the house and with his next-door neighbour. The house has a small foyer. The doors, made from fine pine and the windows and sliding doors, were specially ordered from Casements (U) Limited.
The floor tiles are well-polished and glistening granite (mainly used for work tops and thrice as expensive as the ceramic tiles). The living room is spacious and fitted with a fine piece of upholstery and luxurious leather sofas. A huge photo of Ayla, Chameleone’s first daughter glares at you from above his mantle piece, which is fitted with different musical accolades. There is also a photo of him greeting president Yoweri Museveni.
There are also different pieces of expensive artifacts and souvenirs that the singer has gathered on his exploits around the globe. Chameleone travels to the US at least twice a year; performs in at least five countries in Europe; has been to Canada and other African countries.
A wall cabinet bares a gigantic 42-inch flat plasma television screen worth sh18m with a DVD player and DStv decoder right above. The entire living room and indeed house, is fixed with tutors which play music from this central point. All the rooms in the house have got TV sets that feed off the central DStv decoder as well.
From here, a door leads out to a library, which is not yet well stocked but impressive nonetheless. For now, it mainly has romance and adventure novels. The library also has a long multi-purpose chair that he turns into a bed and sleeps if he gets tired of reading. That saves him the trouble of going upstairs to sleep.
Another door from the living room leads to his Leone Island music-recording studio. The studio cost him up to sh40m to build.
“A lot of money was used in sound- proofing the studio and buying that expensive machinery. I had to do it because I produce my music at home,†Chameleone says as he plays a guitar in his studio.
From here, one can also access the gym, which is fitted with all sorts of body building equipment, from treadmills and weights to stretchers. The kitchen can be accessed through the dinning room but he is yet to fully furnish it.
There is also an air-conditioned bar with a counter and all sorts of wines and spirits. Upstairs is where Chameleone’s bedroom is together with others. It is a spacious self-contained affair with sliding doors that lead out to the terrace. The terrace is decorated with plants and commands a panoramic view that stretches from the foothills of Seguku hill all the way to the blue waters of Lake Victoria.
It also overlooks a young and well mowed lawn punctuated by young palm trees. From up here, you can see the grand entrance –– the gate to the house built with an overhead concrete arch.
The house also has a back porch from where one can see Chameleone’s luxurious vehicles –– two BMWs and a Toyota Hiace parked.
His bathroom is exquisite. It is fitted with the OW-A11 bathroom (like the one we saw in Mukula’s house.
This comes with an FM radio, telephone shower, phone, steam bath, mixer, fan, a mirror, room for toiletries and complete lighting. It must have taken him back by about sh3m to build.
All this and Chameleone is not close to satisfaction: “I have spent sh500m so far on this house and I am putting more money,†he promises. “The next stage is fitting surveillance cameras around my house.â€