‘Nantaba-Zaake’ song: Singer Gerald Kiwewa arrested after MP Nantaba complaint

MP Idah Nantaba and singer Gerald Kiwewa. Courtesy Photos

Police have arrested singer Gerald Kiwewa over a song in which he tells a beautiful character called ‘Nantaba’ to leave ‘our son’ or risk getting him killed.

In the song, Kiwewa also tactifully uses the Luganda verb ‘zaake’ to refer to the swishing of whips Nantaba’s boyfriend has endured at the hands of the rich and powerful interested in her love.

Featuring Dina Rukoti, the song is titled ‘Nantaba ojja Kussa omwana waffe’ loosely translated as ‘Nantaba, you will be our son’s death.’

Kiweewa tells Nantaba that “we have a lot of hope that our son will help us in the future, but the powerful and wealthy men who want you are torturing him while singing ‘let the whips/canes rain on him.”

The ‘let the canes rain’ (embooko zaake) is in allusion to singer Chris Evans’ Zaake song).” In the same song, Rukoti, playing Nantaba, say she has rejected well-connected men, including government officials.

The song was released around the same time Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake was arrested and reportedly tortured for distributing food contrary to President Museveni’s directive barring politicians from doing so.

MPS ZAAKE, NANTABA RELATIONSHIP

The choice of character Nantaba and the phrase ‘zaake’ made some believe that Kiwewa and Rukoti were referring to MPs Zaake and Nantaba, the Kayunga District Woman MP.

Some news publications had claimed Zaake was in love with Nantaba. The claims were stoked by photos of Nantaba (then a government minister) visited Zaake, an opposition MP, at Rubaga Hospital after the 2018 Arua chaos.

But Nantaba had come out to deny being love with Zaake.

“I see Zaake as a member of parliament, that’s it! He is still a young guy of 28 years. I am soon clocking 40, so I see him as a boy who is politicking,” she said.

IDAH NANTABA COMPLAINT AGAINST GERALD KIWEWA

It has now emerged that Nantaba filed a complaint at Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters in Kibuli, accusing the Kadongo-kamu singer of defaming her.

Filed on July 23, Nantaba’s complaint is number GEF 442/2020.

Police swung in action and picked Kiwewa from his home in Maganjo, Wakiso District.

Samuel Kamugisha

Samuel Kamugisha is a Ugandan journalist, editor, language instructor, poet, fiction and non-fiction writer. A Makerere University graduate of Journalism and Communication with a decade-long experience in news reporting, writing and editing, Kamugisha is Editor at The Pearl Times. Most of his previous work was published by The Observer. When he is not doing journalism work -- which is rare -- Kamugisha will be reading or writing a short story or a poem, or caught up in the writer's block.