Evolution Pictures

A LEGEND UGANDA EVER HAD , THE TREND SETTLER.
UMARU KATUMBA may be a relatively little-known figure today but he was arguably the biggest trendsetter in the local entertainment industry during the 1990s.
He died in 1994 shortly after his mega breakthrough aged just 24, but in the few months at the top of his game, he expanded the scope of performing arts to reach masses that no performer had ever ventured to before. Hassan Badru Zziwa brings to light Katumba's phenomenal rise to fame and his far-reaching influence on today's music stars.
Long before Ronald Mayinja, Mesach Semakula and Geoffrey Lutaaya dreamt of becoming music stars, they were with Umaru Katumba. Not as contemporaries, but as his subordinates. Golden band's Grace Sekamatte was Katumba's protégé; the late Carol Nakimera often attributed her mainstream recognition to her association with Katumba. I can go on and on with the list of people influenced by Katumba.
Here was a young man who knew right from high school that he was headed for stardom and nothing was ever going to stop him from achieving his dream. He was still a student when he started performing and released a music album when he was barely 21 years.
A two-year stint with the Ebonies polished his path and when he formed The Emmitoes in 1991, sky was the limit to his success. His biggest fanbase were the youth, who looked up to him as an inspiration given that his journey to success started from scratch.
Confident and self-assured, Katumba was self-made and greatly believed in himself; composing, arranging and even directing everything about the Emmitoes until his sudden demise. I will stop short of saying he ruled the entertainment industry but there reached a point when everything rotated around him.
There is a high chance that if you never saw him, you may think this is a work of fiction. The circumstances leading up to his untimely death are subject to numerous conspiracy theories due to the confused statements of those close to him but what is not doubtable is that it was a motor accident.
Yet one may wonder why he remains some sort of mythical figure. Or how he did all this when there is little tangible reference. Granted, I personally don't remember the last time I listened to his music on the airwaves but that is largely due to the low quality of the recordings and doesn't take away any of his vocal and compositional brilliance.
FROM THE RING TO THE STAGE
Katumba joined Kololo High School in 1984 from Nnabagereka PS with the major aim of becoming a boxing superstar. At the time, Kololo was a boxing powerhouse and Ishaka Kamoga, the school head teacher, attracted promising youngsters with bursaries.
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Katumba was one of the few beneficiaries and in to time established himself as the school's top bantamweight. Coached by the legendary Joseph Waiko, Kololo had top boxers such as Godfrey Nyakana, Fred Muteweta, Moses Mutumba, Joseph Semambo and Eddie Bazira, among others.
Katumba was clearly destined for big things as evidenced by the eventual success of the school's boxing team and, in particular, Nyakana. But in a shocking turn of events, Katumba opted to pursue a music career in 1987. He may have weighed the risks involved in the two careers, with boxing being high risk with low reward.
Moses Nsubuga a.k.a Super Charger was one of his closest buddies at Kololo and already a dancer with Jimmy Katumba and the Ebonies. Joy Nakimuli Sewanyo, one of the lead vocalists in the Ebonies, was also a teacher at Kololo and this paved way for his smooth induction into the Ebonies in 1987 as a dancer though he used to carry the group's stage props at times.
At Ebonies, Katumba made it clear he wasn't ready to play second fiddle to the leading cast of vocalists that included Nakimuli, Fred Kunya, Stella Nanteza, Vicky Kabali Kaggwa and of course the front man Jimmy Katumba. He quit the group in 1989 to pursue a solo career and released his first song Mukola By'aki Ebyokulwanyisa a few months later.
At the time, he also joined Makerere University and enrolled to pursue a diploma in music, dance and drama but due to a busy schedule, he didn't complete the course. I had known Katumba from the Kololo days when he was one of the most outspoken students but it was in 1991 that we became friends. I had just joined the media and he happened to be vending his new album to gain publicity.
BIRTH OF EMMITOES
That same year, Katumba linked up with close friends John Lubega and John Kabiito to found a musical group he named Emmitoes, mainly pulling in wandering youth without a clear sense of musical direction. The name was inspired by the figurative Luganda word Emiti Emito, which refers to the youth.
Katumba often said that the failure to break through while with the Ebonies had taught him that the best way to achieve something is to do it yourself. He always talked about a music revolution and tapping into the young talent but hardly anyone took him serious because there was little to show for.
Besides, they didn't have any musical instruments and finances to sustain themselves and mainly raided bars to earn something. After some assistance from Afrigo's Moses Matovu and a few associates, Katumba recorded some of his music on tape.
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Katumba (with a hat) and some of the Emmitoes group members
Towards the end of 1991, Katumba released his first album he named Eddembe Mu Uganda. It was produced by the legendary Tonny Sengo at his Talanta studios and had songs such as Peace in Uganda, Sente, Ndimufumbo, Obulamu, Night and Olinabaki Gwe.
This compilation got Katumba some attention but still the group failed to take off. In 1992, he reorganized the group after joining hands with Edward Sendikadiwa and Aziz Sentamu. Sendikadiwa is the younger brother of actor Andrew Benon Kibuuka; so, he was fairly connected to people who matter in the industry.
The new management went on a recruitment spree of new members, targeting youngsters from schools such as Kololo High, Old Kampala and Lubiri SS, among others. That's how the likes of Lutaaya, Semakula and Sekamatte joined the fray and by 1993, Katumba's dream had gathered momentum.
White Nile in Katwe was their base and the goal was to incorporate music with drama, more like what the Ebonies did but with a youthful touch and a low-class fan base. In the formative months, Nsubuga returned to the fold as choreographer along with the late Don Kanta, who later made his name with Afrigo.
Katumba was the lead vocalist and everything revolved around him, meaning there was a remote chance for the Lutaayas and Semakulas to steal the limelight. That's when the two decided to quit in the early stages.
EMMITOES TAKE THE INDUSTRY BY STORM
After putting final touches of the group, their first show at Pride theatre on December 8, 1993 was a sellout. It coincided with Katumba's eruption as an accomplished musician with several big hits at the time which included Oli Musajja Ki Gwe, Uganda the Pearl of Africa, Number Y'essimu and Obufumbo Bwaleero among others.
Katumba craftily set out the Emmitoes to act plays whose action and dialogue was interspersed with singing and dancing. The 1993 festive season belonged to Katumba as he sold out show after show in Kampala and beyond. His glamorous appearances on stage, in which he greatly imitated Michael Jackson, endeared him to the young fans. This was a case of an overnight superstar.
Few could have envisioned that what started as a fantasy was sweeping the competition out of business. No one would compete with Katumba. This is a time when the country had many major groups that combined music and drama such as Livingstone Kasozi's Kabuladda Singers, Fred Sebatta and Matendo Promoted Singers, Herman Basudde's Lukwata Guitar Singers and Paul Kafeero's Kulabako Guitar Singers among others.
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Make no mistake; Katumba was not a Kadongokamu singer but fused together several music genres to make his unique blueprint. He was a magnet of sorts for young performers because they were hardly accommodated in the major groups.
Though Katumba was inspired by the Ebonies and also did most of his things like them, he brought the Emmitoes nearer to ordinary people by performing in 'local' theatres - yet the Ebonies remained a group for elites.
KATUMBA'S LAST DAYS
By the time of the Easter season in 1994, the Katumba juggernaut had swept through the music scene like wildfire. No one would compete with him. "Once Katumba displayed his banners, no one else in town could compete," recalls Kibuuka, who gave Katumba a platform at Pride theatre.
Katumba decided to spend Easter weekend in Masaka sub region, holding shows from Kinoni and Kyotera before winding up in Masaka Cinema Hall. The last show is best remembered for the humiliation it caused Kasozi's group, which was holding a rival concert at the nearby Patel Shamji hall.
On the fateful Tuesday of April 5, 1994, the group was on their way back when the tyre of their Fiat burst at Nabbingo, just a few kilometres before reaching Kampala. It was reported that the lorry rammed into a tree but Katumba, who was in the passenger seat, fell out and got run over by one of the wheels.
That he was the only one to die raised some suspicion of foul play but those rumours were proven to be unfounded. His death, shocked the entire music fraternity. He was survived by a four-year -old son - Ibra Katumba - and was laid to rest at Kangulumira, Kayunga district.
His death led to a massive breakup of the Emmitoes and resulted in the formation of several splinter groups, most notably Exodus by Ssendikadiwa and Sekamatte, Geoffrey Lutaaya's Gibros, and Univox Mirrors by Mayinja. Others included Tim Kizito's Ivory band while Nsubuga formed the Embassols.
It is unbelievable that Katumba's big time lasted just four months but the influence he left on the scene is still felt to this day. What basically separates legends from stars is the legacy they leave behind and in that regard, Katumba, who would have been 45 years old today, may be the most influential figure on today's biggest stars in music, 21 years since his death.