Kayanjas once paid for my services despite my ‘bad influence’ - Sheilah Gashumba

Sheilah Gashumba has hit back at Robert Kayanja Jr after he accused her of being a bad influence on young girls, revealing that the Kayanja family once paid her to promote a fashion event linked to his sister.

The latest exchange piles on an increasingly personal row that began with Frank Gashumba’s criticism of Ugandan pastors over miracle claims and church practices.

Kayanja Jr had accused Sheilah of misleading young women through the way she presents herself and described her as a “half naked DJ with no musical talent”.

“I have gone to schools where you have taken your nonsense, leading girls to follow into debauchery, based on the portrayal of how you carry yourself,” he wrote.

Sheilah responded by recalling a December 2020 event involving Kayanja’s family.

She said Jessica Kayanja contacted her and invited her to the launch of her daughter Kristiana’s clothing line.

The invitation, she said, came with Shs2 million for her to promote the brand on social media.

“In 2020 December, I received a call from Mrs Jessica Kayanja inviting me to the launch of her daughter Kristiana’s clothing line and that her daughter really wants me to attend the event,” Sheilah wrote.

“She has been looking for me for over a week. The invite even came with Shs2m for me to post on my socials and push her brand.”

Sheilah praised Kristiana’s work, calling her a talented designer, but questioned why the family had sought her endorsement if they believed she was a harmful influence.

“Now my question to you (Kayanja Jr), if I’m misleading girls and if I portray myself in bad manner, why did my presence matter so much that day?” she asked.

“Why would your family want to affiliate her brand with mine?”

Sheilah said the original debate was about miracle claims and accused Kayanja Jr of turning the exchange into a personal attack.

“The question was about miracles, when did you divert and make it personal?” she wrote.

She added that neither Kayanja Jr nor his father had been mentioned at the beginning of the dispute.

Sheilah then advised him to control his temper if he wanted to preserve his father’s legacy.

The clash stems from Frank Gashumba’s challenge to pastors, prophets and apostles who claim to heal serious illnesses.

Gashumba initially offered Shs200 million, later raising the amount to Shs500 million, for any religious leader who could demonstrate miraculous healing on a critically ill patient at a major hospital.

Pastor Robert Kayanja later rejected suggestions that his ministry stages fake miracles and insisted that healing comes from Jesus, not pastors.

The dispute widened after Sheilah defended her father and accused some churches of exploiting poor believers, demanding excessive tithes and lacking financial transparency.

Kayanja Jr responded by defending his family’s church, citing its humanitarian work, education support and accountability measures.

The exchange has since moved away from the original argument over miracles and church finances into a personal confrontation between Sheilah and Kayanja Jr.