Gerald Mayanja reveals why he got rid of his shotgun

The chattery old man on Thursday night had many stories to tell about raising his talented children, during a dinner party to celebrate Chameleone's graduation.

Mayanja recounted to the guests how one night, he nearly shot Chameleone when he mistook him for a thief.

Chameleone at the time had just started singing.

He did not have his own music yet, but he was in the habit of breaking out of the house almost every night to perform at karaoke nights.

The youngster according to Mzee Mayanja, had even cut the burglar-proof window in his room and secured it with an adhesive, to enable him to sneak in and out of the house.

Jose Chameleone yesterday graduated from Cavendish University pulse uganda

On the fateful night, Mayanja says he woke up in the dead of the night when he heard someone tampering with the window.

“At that time I had a firearm. It was a licensed shotgun,” he said.

“When I heard someone outside, I grabbed my gun and loaded it.

“But because I was also a strong man physically, instead of shooting, I first shouted, ‘Who’s there?’”

“Then he responded, I am Joseph. That’s how he survived. He was finished that night.”

“From that time, I decided to get rid of the gun and I have never got it back.”

Manyanja says from the onset, he never supported his son joining music.

He was also very harsh on him. At one time he took him to the Local Council committee where he was given 100 lashes.

But one time after seeing him perform on stage, he released what a talent he was and changed his mind.

"I was just walking when I stumbled on a photo-copied poster of his upcoming performance. I still have that copy to this date,” he narrated.

“Then one time I was out drinking and my colleagues told me that he was performing at Silencer in Kawempe.

“So I went and paid and stood in the crowd. Then I saw him get to the stage and everybody went crazy. That is when I decided that I could not do anything to stop him.”