There are some individuals alive and dead who are Namutamba Hero’s and qualify for Namutamba medals. I will welcome proposals for names and the reason why these people are believed to be hero’s as far as Namutamba is concerned. However, there are people some may think are hero’s but when these are surrounded with controversy. I think it is best to have people with a clean record.
A nominated potential hero can however be got off the list when a clear reason is given.
I wish to start with a few:
I.The Late Wilson Family
II.Mrs Mugwanya
III.Mr & Mrs Kinene
IV.Mr. Sepria Katumba
V.The Late Wilson Ssonko
VI.Mr. John Kataza
VII.The Late Besuel Kiwanuka
VIII.The Late Jimmy Katumba
IX.Mr. David Kiyimba
X.Mr. Abby Kibalama
XI.Mr. Fagil Mandy
XII.Mr. Godfrey Njagala
XIII.Hon. Bwerere Kasole
XIV.Mr. Azaria Matembe
XV.Mr. Mubiru
XVI.The Late Rwabuhungu (Freelance Journalist)
THE LATE LEA WILSON FAMILY
We appreciate the efforts of the parents of the Late Lea Wilson who made the ground for the Namutamba glory we are talking about. Without the infrastructure of Namutamba Tea Estate and Dairy Farm, surely the Namutamba name we are proud of would possibly have not been a reality. We are grateful to the effort of this family which started Namutamba Demonstration School as a Community School which has grown to such heights to have prominent personalities as O.B’s and O.G’s. We thank God for the spirit of togetherness as initiated by this great family. We are grateful for the effort to provide employment to the people of Namutamba the basis for the big family names we have from Namutamba. We are grateful to the land offers to some of our parents by this family. We are grateful for the morality promoted by the family which saw the East Africa Revival very alive at Namutamba.
MRS MUGWANYA
Many of us have gone through the hands of Mrs Mugwanya. She started a Nursery School at her home which was later transferred to the Church and thereafter to a former Head teacher residence for the Demonstration School at Kiwanda. We thank God for the so many years’ sacrifice Mrs Mugwanya put in to give many of us the good background which is the basis for what we are to day. We thank the family members of the Late Mugwanya for going a step further to identify donors for the current building housing the Nursery School. We are most grateful to this effort. Thank you so much.
MR & MRS KINENE
Mrs Kinene taught many of us in infant classes at Namutamba Demonstration School. She saw us ignorant and led us to light by doing whatever it took to see us learn the alphabet, etc. We are most grateful. Mrs Kinene gave advice to many of us and as Senior Lady the girls who took her advice must be great women. We thank God for the work of Mrs Kinene up to her retirement.
MR KINENE
Mr Kinene for many years was in-charge of works at Namutamba Teachers’ College. We got clean water most of the time because of the efforts of Mr. Kinene. He was in-charge of Electric works and supervision of many other works and workers which he did so well up to retirement. Mr. Kinene drove the College vehicles for a number of years. In so doing, he delivered goods for use by both the College and Demonstration School. Many children from Namutamba were assisted travel to school by Mr. Kinene. For those of us who benefited from this service, all one has to say is that he was punctual and did his work with all the love of a parent. We thank God for the service of Mr. Kinene.
MR SEPRIA KATUMBA
Mr Katumba has always been at the heart of developments at Kiwanda for the Demonstration School and the College. Mr. Katumba is a model parent who has lived by example. Through his devoted work and sacrifice, Mr Katumba was able to see his children get quality education. We see him as a model farmer at Namutamba, from whom many of us can learn. He has all the time been a big pillar in the Church and has lived a Christian life by example. From his dedication and good example, we now see the children of Mr. Katumba seriously involved in efforts to see the revival of the Glory of Namutamba.
THE LATE WILSON SSONKO
The Late Wilson Ssonko was manager Mityana Tea Estate at Bakijjulula. He had a big heart for the Demonstration School and Namutamba Community at large. The Late Ssonko showed us how a parent can devote all his love for the children’s education. Many times, Ssonko was source of guidance to us as we grew up. He on many occasions offered office vehicles to take Namutamba children to secondary schools for which we are most grateful. From the Late Ssonko we learn that we have to be concerned about the children at school and follow up what they do as well as keep in touch with the teachers of the children. The Late Ssonko made food donations to the Demonstration School.
MR JOHN KATAZA
It is true that Mr Kataza could have gone for greener pastures elsewhere and left Namutamba given the developments, however, thank God that he has kept with a big heart to see Namutamba Demonstration School and the Teachers’ College remain moving, and the standards. He together with other teachers decided to sacrifice but teach Teacher Trainees for free as they started off the current training of teachers at the College, which is promising given the improving student performance being registered. Mr. Kataza started teaching at Namutamba in early 1970’s and today he has put in almost 40 years of teaching for which we are very grateful.
THE LATE BESUEL KIWANUKA
The Late Besuel Kiwanuka while Head teacher of Namutamba Junior School put up the current building which houses primary seven class at the current Demonstration School. While teaching at Namutamba Teachers’ College, he lived by example. He always gave students that guidance that would make them useful teachers. It is for such advice that he earned the name “Cob web”, this is because he used to tell his students that a teacher should not teach in class as cob webs were hanging. Students learnt garden skills and for a bigger part of his stay at the College, he manned the gardens and students learnt by doing. The gardens were not only source of food for a balanced diet, but income as some of the produce of the farm was for sell. The Late Kiwanuka took on the challenge to see Namutamba Secondary School gain ground at no pay for the work. The Late Besuel took time to preach the word of God and he lived such life of a Christian. We thank God for the work of the Late Besuel Kiwanuka and that he lived by example.
THE LATE JIMMY KATUMBA
Jimmy Katumba was a student of Namutamba Teachers’ College. During his stay at the College, his voice was clear evidence that he was a talented musician. He did Namutamba proud because he continued publicizing Namutamba through the music arena and later drama. We thank God for the Church music composed and sang by the Late Jimmy Katumba. The Late’s works promoted Namutamba’s good name. May his soul rest in eternal peace
William Kituuka Kiwanuka
Farewell to our black Jim Reeves
Thursday, 17th August, 2006
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YOU ARE MISSED: Jimmy Katumba
YOU ARE MISSED: Jimmy Katumba
By Joseph Batte
A dark cloud of gloom hang over the country on Monday when it was announced that one of Uganda’s most celebrated musicians, Jimmy Katumba, had died of cancer at Mengo Hospital.
The name Jimmy Katumba may mean very little to the wide-eyed 11-year-olds and pretentious 20-somethings that were born yesterday. In fact, he is quickly dismissed as a relic of the past, whose music belonged to a bygone era.
I can’t blame them much. They have grown up on steady diet of disposable bubble gum pop music. But those who grew up on the Ebonies music know that the performing arts industry in Uganda was changed forever with the advent of this artiste, who was nicknamed the ‘Black Jim Reeves’ (and rightly so) by former National Theatre director, Christopher Ntalumbwa.
The ‘Katumba influence’ is present in the popular music churned out today. The tonal structure of the melodies, the harmonies, the ‘churchy’ singing style all point to him.
If you need proof, just listen to Silver Kyagulanyi, Eagles’ Martin Seruga and his wife Catherine Kusasira, the Gombya’s and Mariam Ndagire.
And what is it about Katumba that made us love him so much? It is a combination of many factors. Of course, his critics argue that he did not know how to dance on stage and was a poor songwriter.
During his heydays with the Ebonies, he relied on the pen of late Peter Clive Lwanga and other writers like Wassanyi Serukenya who wrote his Kalibatanya (nze nkole ntya). A former radio presenter, Fred Ibanda, penned for Katumba Munyambe Ntukeyo.
Katumba’s best asset and weapon was his vocal chords. We will always remember him as one of the finest baritone voices that this country has ever produced.
He also proved on May 8 during Iryn Namubiru’s album launch at Garden City that very few Ugandan artistes could sing in that American country music-tinged balladeering style that was made famous by the late Jim Reeves.
Katumba had a long hit-making career, with some excellent results in different genres including hymns, folk and pop. In fact, his whole life has always been about music.
Katumba was born 51 years ago. He started singing as an alto at the age of eight with Mukono Church of Uganda choir where his father, the Rev. Blasio Katumba preached every Sunday. When his voice broke, he joined bass.
He loved Jim Reeves music since childhood, so it was natural that he shaped his voice to sound like his idol. His other favorite artistes were Cliff Richard, Ricky Nelson and an Austrian folk-pop group called the Seekers. A turning point in his life came when he met Abbey Kibalama, a music-loving tutor at Buloba TTC. They linked up in Kampala and formed the Eschatos Brides (Abagole ba Yesu) in 1973. He left the Eschatos in 1977 to concentrate his energies on The Light Bearers, his group that he had earlier formed in Old Kampala in 1975.
Originally, Katumba and the Light Bearers repertoire was exclusively gospel music. An increasing demand for ‘pop music with a comfortable churchy feel’ saw them diversify to include secular music.
Subsequently, they changed the name to ‘Jimmy Katumba and the Ebonies’ in 1976. The Ebonies started out by performing in small venues. It was during one such gig when the general manager of Cooperative Bank, Perez Bukumunhe, spotted them.
He advised the group that the only way they could break through was to do a lot of promotion. On his advice, the Ebonies staged their first public performance at Fairway Hotel. That concert also served as a fundraiser for the construction of the Church House. An equivalent of $15,000 was raised and handed over to the late Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga at the Prison Officers Mess on Buganda Road in Kampala.
In 1978 Yafeesi Sabiiti, another fan, bought Katumba an air ticket to London to buy what became Uganda’s first set of PA system. Unfortunately the equipments were looted a year after during the Liberation War.
Again Sabiiti, together with Charles Nyonyintono Kikonyogo, the former governor of Bank of Uganda, helped the group to get another set.
Fans have always wondered how Katumba and the Ebonies survived the turbulent 1970s under despotic Idi Amin and the 1980s during the Obote II regime. The Ebonies’ motto, together with other bands like the Afrigo, Peterson Mutebi and the Tames, was: ‘NO POLITICS.’
But they failed to keep away from politics completely. In 1983, Katumba was invited to Tanzania to perform for President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. On the list of songs he performed was Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), which he had re-arranged.
President Nyerere was so excited with the song he said it sounded better than the original version. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, president Milton Obote was among the invited guests. He asked Katumba to also perform The Congress of the People. Katumba politely turned down the big man’s request. It was a big mistake he would regret later.
As soon as the plane touched down at Entebbe Airport, their equipment was confiscated. Katumba kissed the boots of UPC bigwigs like Paul Muwanga, Chris Rwakasisi in futile attempts to release his equipment. It was Miria Obote, who helped convince her husband to release the equipement.
Obote called a meeting of UPC stalwarts and said: “Katumba is not for us. Let’s give him back his machines.”
That did not go down well with Luwuliza Kirunda. When he learnt that Katumba was performing in Jinja’s Town Hall, he drove there in convoy of three cars and ordered them to sing the Congress of the People or else... Panicky Katumba took the group through very quick rehearsals, after which they sang it with such passion as if their lives depended on it.
Today, it is even more impossible to believe that at that time Katumba could record timeless classics like Twalina Omukwano, Munyambe Ntukeyo, Congratulations featuring a beautiful tinkling of the piano by Andy Sewanywa, who is now a doctor in South Africa.
The combined effect of playing that live piano, and not the synthesizer, in all the recordings they made, the sweet melodies and harmonies still tug at our heartstrings.
In 1992, Katumba left for the US where he recorded a country-gospel album titled ‘Beyond the Sunset, in Nashville, Tennessee, the home of American country music. That album didn’t sell because he pulled it off the market.
While in America, he got a chance of meeting Mary Reeves, the widow of Jim Reeves. She was surprised to learn that there was a musician in Africa who not only sung like her late husband, but was also interested in redoing his music. She gave him the green light to re-record her husband’s music.
But when he returned to Uganda in 1995, a nasty surprise awaited him. He discovered the name ‘Jimmy Katumba and Ebonies’ had been changed to ‘JK and the Ebonies.’ More shocking, he learnt that the abbreviation did not stand for ‘Jimmy Katumba’, but somebody else. The JimKat kindergarten he had helped set up was sold. The costumes were gone. Gone, too, was his album that contained all his photos as a childhood. The world crumbled around him like a pack of cards.
Katumba left his beloved group he had so painstakingly put together and nurtured and concentrated his energies on making ends meet by recording commercials for corporations like MTN, BELL and BAT.
Occasionally, he would be invited to perform on parties.
Early this year, his fans in the US and the UK led by former Ebonies members, Henry Mpologoma and Aisha Ahamed, cordinated the comeback from Uganda.
They financed the recording of a 12-track album of timeless hits that included Akomyewo, and new ones like Nsiimye gwe and Osobola Otya.
What surprised me was the fact that his music talent hadn’t fallen victim to time. His velvety voice was still in very fine form. The harmonies were easy-going and seemingly effortless, just as they used to be in the 1980s while the hooks were impossibly catchy.
During the interview, he seemed to have discovered his old feisty self. He was cracking jokes. He revealed the projects on his mind — to record another album, open up his own recording studio in Bweyogerere, launch his Greatest Hits album and ‘steal’ back his photo album.
That was not to be. Last Sunday morning at Mengo Hospital, Katumba woke up from an eight-hour coma and asked friends and relatives who had gathered around him: “If you were in my situation, what would you do? They replied forlornly: “I would turn to my God.”
“OK, I will turn to my God, too,” Katumba said. He then smiled at them and closed his eyes forever. The man who spurred the evolution of Ugandan pop music was announced dead exactly 8:10pm in the evening on Sunday. So long our Black Jim Reeves and may your soul rest in eternal peace.
MR DAVID KIYIMBA
Mr. David Kiyimba is a Scientist who was put in charge of the Namutamba UNESCO project. This project saw at least three building complexes being added to Namutamba Teachers’ College. The project under his supervision collected many grasses and these had their various names clearly written and this added to the beauty of Namutamba Teachers’ College. Mr. Kiyimba educated his children and they are holding responsible positions. We thank God for Mr. Kiyimba’s work and innovations in the various school curriculum.
MR. ABBY KIBALAMA
Mr. Abby Kibalama was a teacher at Namutamba Teachers’ College. He is remembered for seeing his wife train with male students at the College to become a teacher. His career as a composer of Church Music saw him organize a group while in Jinja which evolved into the Escatos Brides who are very popular and are source of relieving music to many more so in times of happiness as well as in sorrow. We are grateful for Kibalama’s effort in furthering evangelism through music more so that we are going through such time where there is a lot of moral decadence. The Kibalama’s give us examples to learn from. We are grateful to this effort.
MR. FAGIL MANDY
Mr. Fagil Mandy officially started his working career at Namutamba Teachers’ College. He was exemplary at teaching among other things Sports and Physical Education. He has held various positions up to Commissioner in the Ministry of Education and Sports. He is a model teacher with many solutions to education related problems. He is currently a Consultant in Career Guidance. He has been a real asset through his career life and Namutamba is promoted through these works.
MR. GODFREY NJAGALA
Mr. Godfrey Njagala is a former student of Namutamba Teahers’ College as a Grade II teacher. He started off his teaching career at Namutamba Demonstration School. He is a model of those people who have devoted their lives to see greater heights. This he has been able to achieve by going for higher studies to the extent that he currently holds a Masters degree which qualified him to lecture at Makerere University. He is a Radio Person today, and uses the radio to further the word of God. He earned the title of Canon given his abilities in preaching the word of God. As a Head teacher at Makerere High, he was behind the innovation of grown ups going for further education at the level of Ordinary and Advanced Certificate of Education. He is good at guidance of students and Christians. We thank him for promoting Namutamba beyond Namutamba.
HON.BWERERE KASOLE
Hon. Bwerere Kasole is an innovator in education one of the epitome of quality education in Uganda. Kasole was a teacher at Namutamba and he later with other teachers at Mengo Primary School came up with model teaching; which is the basis for the education for excellence we see today. He later joined hands with others and they started the model Kampala Parents’ School. Kasole has educated many people of high standing after the innovation of quality primary education in Uganda. Today, Kasole’s name is indeed a household name among many well placed people in Uganda who have had their children learn from Kasole’s Kampala Parents’ and now Mubende Parents’ School. We are very grateful for Kasole’s name given his background having to do with Namutamba.
MR. AZARIA MATEMBE
Mr. Azaria Matembe is a known Science teacher who is a former student of Namutamba Teachers’ College. Mr. Matembe started at the Demonstration School in high gear. We remember how he organized to have classes benefit from the school mangoes in a very organized way. Mr. Matembe is one of those who put in serious work to see the Demonstration School academic standards. He was one of those who started extra work at the school on Saturdays and school holidays. Mr. Matembe has had input into the curriculum mostly in the Science section. He was managed Buddo School farm excellently. We thank him for the good promotion of the Namutamba name.
MR. MUBIRU
Mr. Mubiru has been at hand to help the people of Namutamba. He is remembered to have bought Coffee for so many years from the people of Namutamba. Mr. Mubiru made the School uniforms for the Demonstration for so many years. Many of the people of Namutamba have had one stop centre for shopping household needs. We thank Mr. Mubiru for the big heart for the Namutamba Community.
THE LATE RWABUHUNGU
The Late Rwabuhungu a freelance journalist did a lot in publicizing Namutamba in his regular column “The Wonders of Namutamba”, through this column, many people got to know about Namutamba. May his soul rest in peace
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