The body of a renowned comedian and Radio presenter, Nicholas Mpiirwe Kamagara popularly known as DJ Messe Bontwe is still stuck in an Arizona hospital where he is said to have succumbed to yet an unspecified abrupt respiratory disorder in the night of Thursday December 5, 2024.
Alex Nahwera, the young brother to the 49-year old deceased artiste, said they were dismayed to receive the news of his brother’s death because he said they had not received earlier information of poor health prior to his death.
Nahwera said he is in close touch with Ugandans in the US including a close ally Grace Ssekamatte, to try to mobilise funds for the return of his body. He added that they need between 20,000 and 25,000 US dollars (between sh74m and sh95m), to bring the body back home for burial.
His death is a big blow to many merry makers as DJ Messe is the brain behind comedian ‘Amooti Omubalanguzi’s’ Amarula Family which they jointly started with Eddy Kigere, the late Paddy Bitama and Amooti Omubalanguzi.
He started his music career in 1994 along with Ragge Dee (Dan Kazibwe) and Irene Namubiru; they were later joined by Bebe Cool but his stay with the trio was short lived and he parted ways with them.
DJ Messe became popular in the Ddembe FM’s programme ‘Ababaakuzi’ which he used to lead along with other comedians including Bills Butoddene, Prossy Patra, Paddy Bitama and Mukasa Munnamasaka. He developed the name ‘Bontwe’ because his colleagues used to tell him that he had a categorically big head.
According to his brother Nahwera, the deceased has left two widows in his homes at Munyonyo and Kitende, and that both widows have each organized a vigil at their homes. He was born in 1975 to Ponsiano Kamagala and Jane Kensheka at Kaiho village, Rwensinga parish, Ndaija sub-county in Rwampara district.
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Messe started school at Police Children School Nsambya, Nakasero Primary School and Kisubi Secondary School. Following the death of his parents in his early years, he took over the responsibility of educating his siblings at the tender age of 19.
He left for the US in 2002 and has never returned home since then. Grace Ssekamatte, who was one of the last people to communicate with him before death, says that he started the day on Wednesday by doing some job to get USD 400 and left for his home in the evening before getting the amount he wanted.
Ssekamatte said that unfortunately, a few minutes later he received a telephone call telling him that Messe was breathing with difficulty, whereupon an ambulance was organized to rush him to the hospital where thirty minutes later, he was pronounced dead.
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