Abba Marcus Mayanja (R) with his father, Jose Chameleon
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Abba Marcus Mayanja, the eldest son of Ugandan musician Jose Chameleone, walked out of a Minnesota jail due to a court decision that favoured conditional freedom over keeping the 20-year-old behind bars on cash bail.
Mayanja was released at 12:31pm on August 17, 2026, three days after he was arrested and booked on a misdemeanor domestic assault charge in Hennepin County.
Court records indicate that he was presented with two release options. He could either secure a $6,000 bail or bond without conditions, or be released without paying money under a “Conditional Release” arrangement. The court opted for the latter, setting his financial bail at zero while attaching conditions to his freedom.
The decision means Mayanja did not have to raise the approximately Shs22.3 million required under the alternative cash bail option.
The charge against him is “Domestic Assault-Misdemeanor; Act to Cause Fear of Immediate Bodily Harm or Death.” However, the charge remains an allegation, and the release decision does not amount to a finding that Mayanja is guilty.
His case arose amid a troubled relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Angelica Becker, also known as Angel. She has accused Mayanja of assaulting her during her pregnancy, allegations he has previously denied.
In May, after Becker accused him of physically abusing her, Mayanja rejected the claim, saying: “She’s trying to get into my head by making rumours about me hitting her… I didn’t.”
The circumstances surrounding the alleged assault will therefore have to be tested through the court process rather than determined by the accusations and counter-accusations that have emerged publicly.
Mayanja’s conditional release also allows the court process to continue while he remains outside custody. His next court appearance has been scheduled for October 8, 2026, at Ridgedale Court.
The release came on the same day he had been scheduled to appear before the Ridgedale court at 9:30am. By 12:31pm, records from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office showed that he had been released.
A significant aspect of the decision is the distinction between conditional release and an unconditional release. Rather than requiring Mayanja to deposit the $6,000 bail, the court placed him under conditions that he must comply with while the case proceeds. The publicly available records cited in reports do not spell out all those conditions.
The case has attracted attention partly because of the couple’s relationship and their expected child. Earlier this year, Mayanja and Becker announced that they were expecting a baby.
Becker has, however, sent mixed signals about the relationship amid the legal dispute. In a recent social media video, she said she still loved and missed Mayanja and described him as the father of her child.
“I still love him… I still miss him,” she said, while expressing hope for his release.
Her comments, however, do not determine the criminal proceedings. The allegations against Mayanja remain before the court, while his previous denials form part of the competing accounts surrounding the dispute.
For now, the court’s decision has allowed him to remain free without posting the $6,000 cash bail, subject to conditions, as the Minnesota case moves toward its next hearing in October.
About the Author
