Electrician by profession, comedian by passion, Maulana Kasozi unplugged

In a story that combines humor and heartache, MAULANA KASOZI, the electrician and comedian of the duo Maulana and Rane, recently found himself at the center of a controversial family scandal that has gripped the public.

Maulana’s life took a turn for the worse following allegations from his former partner Shubir Nalugya, who alleged that he neglected his duties as a father and forced her into unwanted meetings.

The situation escalated into a legal battle that resulted in the comedian being handed a stunning ruling requiring him to pay Nalugya Sh10 million annually in child support. A quick chat found him at a site in Natit planning to carry out electrical connections, where he expressed his anger towards Nalugya and called her his enemy.

Maulana, what are you doing here?

I am working. I thought we should meet here and I’ll answer your questions while I do my job.

How does a professional electrician turn into a comedian and how does he do both?

Comedy is a talent and I studied drama and electrical engineering. I do comedy at night and do electrical work during the day.

What inspired your comedy?

I used to admire people like Amoti, Abby Mukiibi and Patrick Mujuuka; these people inspired me to join comedy.

How did you meet Rain?

I met him at the Theater Royal in 2015, but we started working together in 2017.

Share one standout comedy moment so far.

Our shows SoyiSoyi; people show us a lot of love on these shows.

How do you come up with ideas and content?

This is talent, Rain and I come from drama, and drama has many aspects. God has given us the talent to turn serious life stories into comedy; We mainly create content based on current events and around popular people such as politicians.

Isn’t this causing you problems?

Not really; Only on rare occasions do frivolous people who don’t understand comedy leave strange comments. Plus, the people we joke about are our friends. Sometimes we joke about Eddie Kenzo and David Lutalo. They understand comedy, art and drama.

Do you have a political side?

Yes. I support the PNU (National Unity Platform). I can never support NRM; in fact, in 2006 I supported Besigye, but now I am 100% PNE.

To paraphrase, are you joining politics anytime soon?

No. I can’t lie down for two hours, and I have a lot of other things to do. Besides, I don’t think I’ll make a good politician. Unless our government changes, but that wasn’t my dream.

How do you handle your art so that it doesn’t cause harm to others?

This is difficult to deal with; sometimes we hurt them and end up apologizing and explaining. But sometimes we tell the truth, as one might say: Batooro are naturally slow. In my opinion, this is true, but we explain to the offended and remind them that this is our job.

Have you lost friends because of your job?

It’s possible, but in comedy you either make people happy or you annoy them. So, you should expect both.

Do people ever take you seriously?

Behind the scenes, someone might understand how serious I am; you found me here on the site. It’s easy to say that I do serious work.

How does your celebrity life challenge your personal life?

Sometimes people pretend to know you more than you do. You may even meet someone discussing your love life and you will wonder how and when you did what they say.

Do you have any enemies?

Yes, like my ex-partner. I don’t like her. I once loved her, but now I hate her; in fact, even if someone just mentions her name, all I see is problems. (Maulana was arrested in February this year and thrown into Luzira prison on charges of domestic violence and child neglect by his mother Shubira Nalugya.)

Do you regret the day you met her?

I don’t, because of the children involved. And as a Muslim, I believe that there is always a reason why God brings certain people into our lives; so you just have to find that reason. The truth is that I don’t like her.

First of all, she accused me of not caring about my children and said that I was forcing her to have sex, which was not true, but that is not the main reason why I hate her. She told me to my face that she would intentionally sleep with men until she contracted HIV and brought it back to me. That’s how bitter this woman is, but I put up with all of her bad behavior for over three years until it became too much for me.

What caused all these problems in your relationship?

I realized that I couldn’t continue her behavior, so I moved on and married someone else, which annoyed her.

But why do you have three children with her?

Every time I told her it was over, she ended up pregnant. (LoL! Maulana, your words are powerful!)

How do you know that the children are yours?

I don’t know; I just trusted God and it landed me in jail saying I didn’t care about them. Either way, I’m happily married to someone else who hurt my ex. I think she also wants to come back into my life, but this is impossible.

Is this harming your current marriage in any way?

This is not true because my wife knows the truth and as I said, there is a positive side to such problems; there are people who didn’t even know my name. They learned about it from these scandals.

My children will eventually learn the truth as they get older. I also believe in God; my children asked their mother to take them to prison to see me, but she was the one who put me there.

Will you give her the ten million that the court ordered you to pay?

Yes, I gave it to her and she bought the land.

How long do you have to pay this money?

I don’t know. We have filed an appeal and are still waiting for the court’s decision.

How have you dealt with the social media, abuse and negativity that came with this scandal?

I only believe in God and I don’t care what people say on social media. These people don’t know me, and those who believe rumors should not give me a job; in the end we will all die and face God; So, I don’t understand why I have to explain myself on social media.

Any upcoming projects?

Yes, Reign will be releasing new songs and more soon.

How do you want to be remembered?

Like a God-fearing man.

What exactly do people not know about you?

That I am kind and respectful.

Do you have any regrets in life?

I have no regrets; just lessons.

Who’s your best friend?

I have many close people, but my mother is the keeper of my secret.

Who is your role model?

Honestly, I never realized that even those we admire have more problems and stress than us who admire them. I decided to just look at God.

For example, I used to admire BMK (Owner of the Africana Hotel, the late Brahim Muwanga Kibirige) a lot, but I remember a friend of mine telling me that when he was diagnosed with cancer, he wanted to trade his Hotel Africana for a long life, which was impossible.

Also my religion does not allow us to be greedy; So, personally, when I want to have something in life, I just talk to God, like: The God you gave didn’t do anything for you that I wouldn’t do, so bless me too.

What is your childhood memory?

My parents loved me very much as a child and taught me to cook. By the way, I’m a good cook; I didn’t like it as a child, but I remember my mother telling me: “You don’t see it now, but you’ll thank me later.”

What calms you down when you feel bad?

I pray or listen to the recitation of Sulati Yusuf; he tells a story that makes me feel calm.

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