How Kampalans celebrated BBA 8 launch

By Caroline Ariba
 
So, as Big Brother - The Chase went down in Jo’burg, South Africa on Sunday May 26, Ugandan lovers of the reality TV show had an official gathering in Kampala, a launch party of sorts.

It was a big screen affair at Club Venom, where some of Kampala’s socialites attended. At exactly 6:55pm, MCs Roger Mugisha and Peace Menya from Radio City kick-started the event, declaring that the drinks were on the house.
 
But first, we each had to pick a key off of a mosquito coil-like wooden piece and try our luck at a mystery padlock that unlocked a mobile TV. Many, like comedian Patrick Idringi, tried several times to no end.

And then Vision Group’s Kalungi Kabuye emerges with a couple of keys and boom, the padlock opened, just like that – and he walked away with the mobile TV.

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Vision Group's Kalungi Kabuye receives the Walker Mobile TV from Multichoice's Tina Wamala

Former Big Brother contestants Sharon Salmon and Ernest Wasake were ushered into the front seats and had a brief moment to tell of their time in the house. It was getting quite boring till singer Toniks jumped onto stage with his suave western Uganda rhyme Itaano, which got many swinging their hands in the air.

There was however a moment of sorrow when a video clip of deceased former Big Brother Star Game housemate Goldie Harvey from Nigeria was played during the opening of Big Brother. It was Biggie’s way of paying tribute to one of the show’s most flamboyant housemates. 
 
Seeing Big Brother host IK Osakioduwa arrive on a bike got us all out of the sorrowful mood, getting us ready for the show – on TV, that is. A tour of the enormous house by South African Comedians took it a notch higher.

When Zimbabwean Pokole was announced as the first housemate to enter the house, it was hush in club Venom. Then came our very Isaac Lugudde and boy oh boy, the club was on fire, the women were blushing and the fellas besides them had no option but pretend not to be jealous. 
 
It was a fine evening, until the star-struck waitresses rushed all the food to tables that had celebrities. Even worse, co-emcee Peace got her timing wrong, right in the midst of announcing the next housemate, she would start talking. Really? Who does that?

MCs  Roger Mugisha and   Peace Menya who kept interrupting the BBA show on TV

And then she did it again when Vision Group’s Denzel Mwiyeretsi was announced as the other Ugandan representative in the house. Denzel, who by the way is among the smallest guys in the house, entered the house dancing behind Kenya’s Annabel. Please try and save him so you can see more of his drama – it’s only just beginning.