He’s my uncle: Bobi Wine explains family relationship with Kibalama

Singer-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has detailed his relationship with Moses Kibalama.

Kibalama is in the eye of the storm over Bobi Wine’s controversial acquisition of the National Unity Platform (NUP).

On September 25, NUP lawyers, led by Busiro East MP Medard Lubega Sseggona, cross-examined Kibalama in the High Court in Kampala.

Kibalama contradicted himself in some instances, but maintained he had given the Electoral Commission (EC) falsified information to push through the NUP name change.

Bobi Wine accuses Kibalama of accepting to be compromised by the state to betray him – yet the two are related through their ethnic Buganda clan system.

“Mr. Moses Nkonge Kibalama is from the Ndiga (Sheep) clan, the same clan as my mother Margaret Nalunkuuma,” explains Bobi Wine.

“In the Baganda culture, if an elder is from your own clan, you address them as Taata (father) or Senga (Auntie) and similarly if an elder is from your mother’s clan, you address them as Maama (mother) or Kojja (uncle). Therefore Mr. Kibalama is my uncle.”

Bobi further reveals that he had no problem with Kibalama.

“Ever since I met him, I have addressed him as Kojja [uncle] and somehow an uncle-nephew relationship developed between the two of us,” he said.

“As the Baganda say, “Omwana omulenzi asera na Kojja we.” Therefore, many times we discussed other personal matters, and I loved the guy. He was always jolly around me and as a team we enjoyed his company.”

The MP’s concern is that he strongly believes the state compromised his uncle.

“Although some truths were escaping him under oath [in court on September 25, I saw my own Kojja overpowered by the fear of death and the love of money! These are the two chains used to enslave both his body and mind,” says Bobi Wine.

“I then remembered these words: ‘True freedom is when you overcome the love of money and the fear of death. If you don’t love money, nobody can buy you off and if you don’t fear death, nobody can scare you off.”