Robinah Bisirikirwa
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I “The dead are not dead,” Ugandans have come to discover after one person after another came up to divulge deep secrets about celebrated singer Paul Job Kafeero. The latest is Robinah Bisirikirwa, the late Kafeero’s widow, who has opened up about the singer’s alleged infertility following the release of DNA test results that have finally settled a years-long paternity dispute over his estate.
For years, the family of the late Kadongo Kamu icon was embroiled in a bitter battle over who among dozens of claimants were his biological children. The controversy intensified after competing family factions laid claim to Kafeero’s estate, forcing the matter into court.
To conclusively resolve the dispute, a court authorized the exhumation of Kafeero’s remains earlier this month, allowing forensic experts to obtain reliable DNA samples. Specialists from the Uganda Police Forensic Services Laboratory and the Government Analytical Laboratory collected samples from the musician’s bones, skull, jaw and hair before comparing them with DNA samples submitted by 25 individuals claiming to be his children.
The results, released on Wednesday, established that only four of the 25 claimants were biologically related to the legendary musician. The confirmed biological children are Thomas Kafeero, popularly known as Schwarzenegger, Simon Peter Kafeero, Benedicto Kafeero and Elizabeth Nagawa.
The findings effectively settled one of Uganda’s most publicized inheritance disputes and brought an end to years of speculation over the singer’s lineage.
The late Paul Job Kafeero
Hours after the results were announced, Kafeero’s widow, Robinah Namatovu Bisirikirwa, broke her silence, revealing details about her marriage to the late singer and repeating claims she has made previously that Kafeero developed fertility problems later in life.
Speaking to Bukedde, Bisirikirwa said she had lived through years of accusations, public ridicule and family disputes over children she maintained were not biologically fathered by her husband.
She particularly expressed relief that Thomas Kafeero had been confirmed as one of the singer’s biological children, saying she had consistently defended him despite criticism from sections of the family.
Kafeero Schwarzenegger exonorated
“I am so happy. When the results were being read, I switched off my phone. I did not want to speak with anyone because at some point I started fearing for my life because so many people were up against my son Thomas, whom I love. He is the first child that Paul brought to me,” she said.
According to Bisirikirwa, she deliberately stayed away from the official release of the DNA results in Naguru because she feared the outcome might be manipulated.
She said she had even contacted Minister Balaam Barugahara to seek assurance that the government laboratories conducting the tests were independent and that the results could not be altered.
“I had been invited to attend the announcement but I declined. I told them I was going to hide under the bed because I feared what would happen if the results were changed,” she said.
After learning that Thomas had been confirmed as Kafeero’s biological son, Bisirikirwa celebrated with longtime family friends Jose Chameleone and Ragga Dee before granting interviews to the media.
Property battle
The widow also spoke about what she described as years of verbal attacks from individuals she believes supported rival claimants to Kafeero’s estate.
She singled out presidential adviser Jennifer Nakangubi, popularly known as Full Figure, alleging that she had repeatedly insulted her during the inheritance dispute. Bisirikirwa further claimed that her differences with Charles Ssenkubuge began shortly after Kafeero’s burial when he took custody of Martin, one of the children who has now been found not to be biologically related to the late singer.
However, the most striking revelation from her interview concerned Kafeero’s reproductive health.
Bisirikirwa alleged that medical examinations conducted while the singer was alive showed that he had developed a low sperm count after years of excessive alcohol consumption, making it difficult for the couple to have children together.
“I have always mentioned that Paul reached a point and became infertile. Doctors ran tests and confirmed this. He only had those children when he was younger. He had taken too much alcohol and ended up with a low sperm count. Doctors also examined me and found that I was completely fertile,” she said.
She added that despite numerous medical treatments and efforts to conceive, the couple never succeeded in having children together.
“We tried everything. I took so many medications, but we never managed to get a child,” she said.
HIV+ news was the turning point
Bisirikirwa further claimed that their attempts to have children came to an end after Kafeero contracted HIV while she remained HIV negative.
“Eventually he contracted HIV, and when I got tested I was negative, so we had to stop trying. I refused to leave him because I believed abandoning him during his illness would be wrong. I stayed with him and cared for him until his death,” she said.
Her account has renewed public discussion about Kafeero’s personal life, although her assertions regarding his fertility and medical condition remain her own account and have not been independently verified through the DNA findings themselves.
What the DNA results conclusively established was the biological relationship between Kafeero and only four of the 25 people who claimed to be his children. While the findings have resolved the legal question surrounding his estate and heirs, Bisirikirwa’s remarks have added a deeply personal dimension to the late musician’s story, reigniting debate about the private struggles he may have faced during the final years of his life.
Even decades after his death, the legacy of Paul Job Kafeero continues to dominate public conversation, proving that the celebrated Kadongo Kamu legend remains as influential in death as he was during his lifetime.
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