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Jose Chameleone in club bust-up with Governor Kingi


Drama unfolded in the wee hours of Wednesday morning when Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi and celebrated Ugandan musician Jose Chameleone clashed at the popular K1 Klubhouse in Parklands, Nairobi.

Trouble started at the parking lot at around 2 am as Chameleone was leaving the club after a night out with close friends.

Governor Kingi had just parked his new white SUV Range Rover Vogue when a friend on his entourage spotted Chameleone.

The friend alerted the governor of the flamboyant musician’s presence and Kingi sent him to ask the hit-maker to come and say hello.

Eyewitnesses say the Ugandan got furious by the move, which he deemed condescending. That is when all hell broke loose!

“Who does he think he is?” charged Chameleone, who was rocking a black and gold top, a pair of black kitenge shorts and a black TMT cap, as he entered his vehicle.

‘I HAVE MONEY’

“So I can’t leave the club because this guy has money and want to say hello to me? I have money too and he can’t tell me anything. Let’s get out of here!” said a visibly irritated Chameleone, while ordering his entourage to leave the parking lot and head back to his hotel room.

He was in a group that included some Kenyan and Tanzanian musicians.

Kingi’s friend had to eat humble pie and inform the governor that Chameleone had declined to say hello to him.

Unfazed, the flashy governor, who donned a neatly pressed white linen shirt, proceeded into the club’s VIP area and continued partying with his friends.

Chameleone was in the country, alongside other East African musicians, to record a yet-to-be-unveiled M-Net TV show.

Born Joseph Mayanja, Chameleone is regarded as the king of showbiz in Uganda, a title he has held for more than 10 years.

FLASHY LIFESTYLE

He leads a flashy lifestyle, driving top of the range cars and has invested heavily in real estate in Kampala.

He owns a fleet of sleek cars that includes a customized Cadillac Escalade SUV, a Hummer and several saloon cars, one of which is a convertible Mercedes Benz.

Chameleone also owns a top record label in Uganda, Leone Island, which has produced most of his hits, plus other Ugandan hit songs.

He has been rated as one of the top 10 wealthiest musicians in Uganda, charging not less than $15,000 per hour to perform anywhere in Africa.

Looking at his party lifestyle, he only goes and sits in the club with very close friends and prefers drinking single malt whisky, his favorite brands being Johnnie Walker and Talisker.

He allows fans to take pictures with him just for a certain period of time when he gets to the club, but then his bodyguard ensures no more pictures are taken after that.

POPULAR THAN MUSEVENI

His hit after hit has made Chameleone a household name across East Africa.  At some point he was rated as more popular in Uganda than his president, Yoweri Museveni.

On the other hand, Governor Kingi likes to unwind with friends after a week of hard work at the county offices.

His friends say the governor loves driving himself to the club. At the K1 Klubhouse, the governor was driving himself in his brand new SUV in the company of two close friends.

Kingi has a taste for fine things in life including classy cars, expensive outfits and jewelry.

He has a soft spot for exquisite clubs and lounges from where he enjoys high-end drinks, while rubbing shoulders with who is who in the entertainment scene.