Comedy Nite every Thursday at National Theatre is a fixture on Kampala’s entertainment calendar.
She has inspired more ladies into singing and acting. The former child-actress with Black Pearls has gone all the way to start her own theatre group, the Afri-Talent which still has a loyal following at Bat Valley Theatre along Bombo Road.

These people have truly ruled the past 10 years of Uganda’s entertainment. Some of them burst on to the scene with stunning flashes of genius that shocked the country. Others have stood the test of time and held their own and are still at the top of their careers.

* Jose Chameleone
Jose Chameleone

Don’t be fooled. Chameleone could be an ill-tempered bad boy, but this man has changed the perceptions people held about local musicians. Ever since he came onto the scene at the start of the century with hits like Mama Mia, Jamila, Kipepeo and Dorotia, the self-styled Heavy Weight has scaled the heights, dominating East African music for the entire decade. It was unheard of for an artiste who broke his legs or fought someone to make the front page news of national dailies. But Chameleone, has started it. Jokes apart, Jose Chameleone’s face is probably better known around the continent than President Yoweri Museveni’s.

* Theatre Factory
Theirs is the story of “who ever knew”. The comedy outfit started out like boys and girls enjoying a hobby but they have turned their creativity into a lucrative business. Comedy Nite every Thursday at National Theatre is a fixture on Kampala’s entertainment calendar. They have added a television show, Barbed Wire to their achievements and their faces are regular on television advertisements.

* Mariam Ndagire

She has inspired more ladies into singing and acting. The former child-actress with Black Pearls has gone all the way to start her own theatre group, the Afri-Talent which still has a loyal following at Bat Valley Theatre along Bombo Road. Ms Ndagire is also a singer whose music is appreciated across the social strata. On top of theatre and singing, she has ventured into film, a trend that is starting to define her as a movie director and script writer. Her list of movies includes Down this Road I Walk, Strength of a Stranger, Hearts in Pieces and recently a series, soon to air on NTV, The Tendo Sistaz.

* Eagles Production
If Afrigo Band is the all-time band, it’s only Eagles Production that gives them a run for their money. Eagles’ production under the management of Musa Kavuma has managed to keep big names in entertainment together, despite the temptation of more money if they were singing solo. Ronald Mayinja, Mesach Semakula, Geoffrey Lutaaya and Haruna Mubiru are some of the biggest names in Uganda, but the band has kept them together. To date, Eagles’ asking bill is the highest in the country.

* Silver Kyagulanyi
The last decade’s music chapter would be incomplete if I din’t add Silver Kyagulanyi’s name. Some people argue, he should be at the beginning of the chapter.
Mr Kyagulanyi is a singer in his right, but his influence is more recognised in the number of songs he has written for musicians with household names. At one point during the past decade, radios played seven of Kyagulanyi’s songs in every 10 songs. Artistes like Juliana Kanyomozi, Iryn Namubiru, Mariam Ndagire, Obsessions, Blu3, Mesach Semakula, Sophia Nantongo and Sarah Zawedde owe their music career or at least a chunk of it, to Kyagulanyi’s creative juices.

* Abbey Mukiibi
He is probably the most recognised Ugandan face in the movie world. Abbey Mukiibi, who was a local actor became an overnight big name after appearing in Sometimes in April, a Hollywood movie about the 1990s genocide in Rwanda. Mukiibi left an indelible mark in the film world when his face graced The Last King of Scotland, the picture that made Forest Whitaker win an Oscar. And since then, Uganda is proud to have a representative in Hollywood who stays and works back home. Mukiibi’s radio show, Kalisoliiso, with Kato Lubwama on CBS radio was still the favourite comic morning radio show before CBS was knocked off air.

* Sylvia Owori
From her days as the organiser of Miss Uganda, Sylvia Owori has showed what a focused woman can achieve by focusing on her talents. Her label has become a household name and the most recognised fashion house in the country. When she launched African Woman magazine, it was easy to dismiss it as a passing venture, but time has proved her right. African Woman magazine like the Sylvia Owori label, have crossed borders and Sylvia herself doesn’t show signs of withering.
Sylvia Owori

* Ashraf Simwogerere
It was when he premiered his movie Murder in the City that Ashraf Simwogerere gained national prominence. He alleged kidnap, and people for the first time noticed the existence of Ugandan films that could get people to disappear. Since then, Simwogerere is a big name among film makers and some people say, he is a pioneer of Uganda’s movie industry. An actor with the likes of Mariam Ndagire and Abbey Mukiibi, Simwogerere ventured into making movies to reach larger audiences. Among his films is the Feelings Struggle, followed by Murder in the City, The Honourable and recently, Mukajanga: The story of the Uganda Martyrs.

* Isaac Mulindwa
Very few people knew Isaac Mulindwa before he made the Pearl of Africa Music (Pam) Awards the measure of music success. Mulindwa’s Pam Awards made or broke artistes.
We can literaly say, Mulindwa discovered Lady Mariam of Tindatine fame, Fina Mugerwa and Sweet Kid. Winning Pam awards’ artiste of the year accolade made the artiste’s bookings by promoters double, and fetched twice the money. Such was the power of the awards before they ran out of fuel this year. Mulindwa also has interests in Club Silk, Silk Events, and Hot100.

Isaac Mulindwa

* Judith Babirye
What was gospel music before Judith Babirye’s Beera Nange? Yes, there was Pastor Okudi’s Wipolo. But was it gospel the way Babirye branded it? I think not. Otherwise, Hillsong or Don Moen made gospel music many of us wanted to listen to. But when Ms Babirye’s inspiring and calm songs arrived, the gospel music revolution came to Uganda. Now, this genre is a recognised form of music and many big artistes have made a point to add a gospel song to their albums to keep with the times. Thanks to Judith Babirye, we have seen other artistes like Wilson Bugembe following suit.
By Mike Ssegawa