On 31st October, there is a grand music gala code-named The Best of Maxwell Kin, organized at UMA Hall Lugogo starting at 10:00am in the morning and featuring scores of school choirs that have gone under his training hand. The ‘Endoolito Hit Maker’ show is expected to be graced by several dignitaries.
At the mention of the name Maxwell, many people recall services of a trained lawyer who has pleaded for them in law courts, while to the minds of many more especially in the education sector, the picture that vividly comes out is that of an ardent music trainer who has made an immeasurable contribution to winning myriads of music awards in different schools and Church choirs.
Maxwell Kin Ssessanga’s hand has not been limited to schools but also touched outstanding artistes in the music world (whose names for professional purposes remain unmentioned), for whom he has composed and written hitting songs that have moulded them into outstanding stars.
Through his compositions, Ssessanga who is the National Coordinator for UNAIDS, has authored compositions mobilizing people to read while the situation still enables them, as a means of widening their scope of knowledge and jump out of the cocoon of limited access, to be able to face challenges in life, and live in conformity with dictates of modern society.
He strictly discourages parents who place blockades in their children path to seeking entry to the music world from an early age, reasoning that, “Today’s artistes are not like those of the past who lived a life of paupers, traversing villages in search of money for a living, but today, musicians are wealthy, respectable family men and women”.
Married to Cynthia Nakiddo, daughter of Col. David Lukanga ‘Mortar’ of Nama sub-county in Mukono, the lawyer-cum-artistes admits that he makes better money out of music and, giving an example, says that besides composing songs for individuals, he writes songs for outstanding schools at a cost of sh2 to 3m a song, and with capacity to write as many as ten songs a week.
Maxwell has written songs for schools including Naggalama Junior School, St. Cyprian High School Kyabakadde, St. Peters SS Bombo Kalule, St. Francis Borgia High School, St. Frances Education Centre Namawojjolo, Cleavers Origin Kyebando, Waguma Junior School Baamugolodde and St. Clever Junior School Kalule bombo.
Others are; Winterland Primary School Kyebando, St. Kizito Bishop Mukwaya, Firidaus School of Beauty, St. Mathias Kalemba Nazigo, St. Charles Lwanga Buikwe, St. Mary’s S.S Nkozi, among others. In addition, Maxwell also composes and trains songs for Catholic church choirs.
Ssessanga Maxwell Kin is the biological son of the late Jjinjaddamu Ssebbaale who died when he (Ssessanga) was barely two weeks into the world, and grew up under the loving care and moral mentorship of a step father, the late Wilson Walakira.
He was born at Namugongo-Bulooli in present-day Kira Town Council, but shifted to Buwanuka-Kakoola in Luweero district when his mother re-married. In his own words, he says, he attended several primary schools because he was a bit stubborn and had to be ‘recycled’ into Seeta Primary School, Zimula Primary School, Nakigu Primary School and Namugongo Boys.
Up to S4, he was a student at Wobulenzi High School, and then joined St. Kizito HS Namugongo. He did a stint at St. Lawrence SS Ssonde when the founder, the late Joseph Kiwanuka Balikuddembe identified and smuggled him owing to his music talent. As a young student at St. Lawrence, he recited a poem about HIV/Aids and appeared in the media, which earned him a bursary at Buganda Royal Institute.
In 2006, he joined Makerere University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and later continued with his music training career at St. Augustine SS Nakifuma and later at Kawaala College School.
“I later joined Makerere University for a law course and when I graduated, I worked with several law firms but my spirit was more inclined towards music training and I find that I have more time for music than for law; I do most of my music practices at night,” Maxwell narrated.
On 31st October, there is a grand music gala code-named The Best of Maxwell Kin, organized at UMA Hall Lugogo starting at 10:00am in the morning and featuring scores of school choirs that have gone under his training hand. The ‘Endoolito Hit Maker’ show is expected to be graced by several dignitaries.
The 1st of thirteen children of both his biological and step fathers, Ssessanga openly admits that he is an addicted music trainer who finds solace in training artistes until he transforms them into unbendable icons who he feels must carry the pride he has installed in them for all their life. He does not know when, (and actually would not like to entertain the idea in his head) or how he will have to discard the music training talents.