My wife has shown me true love

I silenced my father-in-law with cash

Sgt. (Rtd) Abdullah Sempagala Mwebe aka Sergeant Kifulugunyu, 69, came to the limelight when his music videos were often featured on UTV, as he performed in military uniform. He is married to Saudah Nalubega. The two told SAMUEL LUTWAMA about their love

Who is Sergeant Kifulugunyu?
I was born in 1942 in a polygamous family of more than 45 children. I dropped out of school at an early age and joined the army in 1964 at 22 years. Therefore, I have spent more of my adulthood in military uniform. Unfortunately, in 2008, after serving the army for over 46 years, I was forced to retire against my will.

Consequently, as the bread winner and family provider, I have been struggling to make ends meet. I have fathered many children from different women. In fact, like the case with my late father, I have lost count of the number of my biological children.

Tell us about your love life
I fell in love in 1964 when I met my first wife; Robinah Namubi­ru, with whom we had five chil­dren. They are all grown and living abroad. Namubiru was 16 years and a student in Jinja when I met her. I had just re­turned from military training in Greece.

I was ‘youthful and full of life’. When I saw her walking alone, I offered her a lift in the military Land Rover I was driving. Before long, she conceived and gave birth to my first daughter, Nabayego, who is now 42.

Four other children followed Nabayego, until I fell out with their mother in 1979.

So, you used your military uniform to defile someone’s daughter?
Close to that. As a sergeant, I was feared. No one would question me for making their daughters pregnant. When her family found out that she was out of school because of pregnancy, they were enraged. But I silenced my father-in-law with money. Then, there was her elder brother who wanted to take matters in his own hands.

He softened when I gave him sh600, which he used to buy a scooter. He then handed me his sister whom I lived with for about 15 years.

Why did the affair end?
In 1979, after the fall of Idi Amin’s regime, I was imprisoned in Luzira. As a result, my wife disassociated herself from me and sought refuge at her parents’ home with the children.

Somehow I managed to escape from prison and went back home. However, I discovered that she had left home and did not want to associate with me anymore, saying I was a threat to her life and the children. She moved on and started having affairs with other men.

I joined the guerrilla war and after the libera­tion in 1986, I fell in love with Teddy Katenta, who was working in dfcu Bank. We had a set of twins and other children.

First forward, how did you meet your cur­rent wife, Saudah?
I met Saudah through her elder sister, who was my good friend. After courting for long, she became my wife in 1998. However, it wasn’t easy to win her heart because she was Muslim, a different faith from mine.

But since I loved her so much, I converted to Islam. I was circumcised before she could introduce me to her parents. I changed my name to Abdullah. Saudah and I have three children; Nakalanzi, Nakajubi and Kawalya. I have chosen Kawalya as my heir.

Tell us about your current relationship?
Unfortunately, it has been ridden with pover­ty and financial hardship. Interestingly, before we met, I was doing well. I was serving in the army and my musical career was doing great. But my financial downside started when the late Gen.

James Kazini confiscated my musical instruments, accusing me of doing business in military uniform. But the truth is I was I trying to portray how connected the army was with the general public.

To worsen my financial situation, I was forced to retire from the army in 2008. Thus, my wife became the sole bread-winner in the family. She has stood by me and that shows what true love is.

Doesn’t failing to provide make you less of a man?
True love is strange. My wife has shouldered all the family responsibility. In spite all this, she has maintained her respect for me as her husband. As a matter of fact, since we started living together, I have never caught her trying to cheat on me.

What has been her weakest point?
As a human being, she has her share of blemish. For instance, she annoyed me when she stopped having babies without discussing it with me. I still wanted to have more children with her. But later, I came to realise that she was worried about our finan­cial hardships. Had I been given a decent send-off from the army, I don’t think I would be in this predicament.

How do you parent your children?
I don’t influence my children’s character. I cannot influence them to be what they do not want to be. I believe they are solely responsible for their destiny.

Despite your hardships, you look much younger…
Well, the secret lies in the way I take care of my body using the limited resources at our disposal. While that is so, I believe I will not live beyond my 70th birthday, ac­cording our family lifespan. In our family, it is on record that no one lives beyond 70 years. It is like a family curse.

With four months to my 70th birthday, I know that my curtain is closing. I have not yet discussed it with my wife because I don’t want to scare her with impending doom.

Interestingly, I know my final destiny will be hell, considering the kinds of sins I have committed before my creator and I want to pay for all my sins in equal measure in hell. I don’t want anything to do with God pardoning

You sound like you have scores to settle
Although our culture bars us from talking ill about the dead, but I vent my emotional anger towards the late James Kazini for confiscating my musical instruments and later, he influenced my forced retirement from the army. I still pray that the Government may look into my financial predicament and bail me out.

My husband converted to Islam because of my charm

Nalubega Saudah
How did you meet your husband?
I met him through my elder sister who was his good friend. My sister and I were great fans of his band before it was disbanded. I liked the way he twisted his waist on the stage and his gentle charac­ter off stage. Through the influence of my sister, I became his close friend and later his wife.

Did you influence him to convert to Islam?
No, he converted out of his own will. We discussed it and he said it was okay for him to change to my religion for the sake of our relationship. His family respected his decision.

How do you feel to be married to a man who laments about financial hardship?
He is a victim of his financial downfall. Before and shortly after we met, he was doing well and we enjoyed happier times. But all that changed when his band was disbanded. That notwithstanding, he built a house for us and has contributed financially whenever he can.

He says you stopped bearing children without his consent…
The truth is that I never stopped myself from having more children as he alleges. I just wanted our last born to make six years before I conceived our fourth born. I will definitely have more children when my child makes six years.
 
What is it like to be the sole bread-winner of such a big family?
Shouldering the burden of the family isn’t entirely in my hands. But the most im­portant thing is that we both try to pool resources for the wellbeing of the family.

How have you been able to handle issues as a couple?
We talk about various issues and come up with viable solutions. That has worked well for us.