With the advent of social media, new personality media have emerged in the form of bloggers. Bloggers tend to regularly post content created by themselves of taken from elsewhere. Over time they are followed by multitudes, who find their pages as sites for discussion.
In Uganda, among Ugandans who live in the country or abroad, there are names that can be easily identified. Raymond Soulfa alias Peng Peng, Henry Ndugwa a.k.a Kakensa, Ashburg Katto, Ritah Kaggwa, Lydia Nabatuusa, and many others have mastered the art of attracting the masses to their social media accounts.
Blogging doesn’t mean you spend the whole day on Social media, most bloggers have jobs and appear on social media after work.
Peng Peng (Raymond Soulfa)
Before settling in Stockholm, Sweden, Peng Peng used to stay in Zana along Entebbe Road.
According to his neighbours, Peng Peng was so stubborn. He used to head the kids in Zana and would always refuse those he hated from fetching water from the famous Zana well near the feared tree of ‘misambwa’ aka demons just opposite the Anglican church in Zana.
As one of the most followed blogger on social media, Peng Peng describes himself on Facebook as “a motivational speaker, Blogger, critic and entertainer.”
When it comes to verbal attacking, he does not spare anyone including the most feared figures in Uganda. The blogger is also known for his ability to tittle-tattle anyone whom he does not agree with.
On top of that, he claims to have Intel on all the dirty linen (sex tapes, nude selfies and sex innuendos) of every Ugandan on Facebook.
Peng Peng is Uganda’s most active and followed Facebook video content creator due to his numerous engagements with Ugandans across the globe.
A few years ago, he was singer Bebe Cool’s blue-eyed boy before their fallout and he would attack anyone who negatively attacked his boss.
Currently he is among the People Power political pressure group activists that are headed by Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
Ashburg Kato
Ashburg is a People Power (a pressure group run by Kyadondo East Legislator, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine) die hard or activist and has also turned to be a government critic since Bobi Wine took over the minds of some youths in Uganda.
On his Facebook page, he says he is the number one ranked blogger in Uganda. “I teach, I diss, I sensitise,” he says. Of course he is not the number one blogger, although Katto’s Facebook has quite a following, with more than 107,000 followers.
He specializes in politics (promoting Bobi Wine and criticizing the NRM government), he also specializes in the entertainment industry, spinning the rumour mill on celebrities.
Henry Ndugwa alias Kakensa
He is proud of Kireka Heritage and tends to post anything interesting that happens in Kireka. Now living in Finland, where he works with a medical facility, Kakensa might be the most influential blogger at the moment.
If you are looking for the video clip of artiste Jose Chameleone in a brawl somewhere at a party or the insider gossip about the strains in the marriages of a prominent couple, then look no further than the Facebook page called Kakensa Media run by Henry Ndugwa.
The page is run by Henry Ndugwa and is, by most measures, the most popular gossip page in Uganda.
A couple of months ago, Facebook closed Kakensa. The reason as to why remains unclear. A week later, Kakensa opened a new account, and all the followers returned.
The page has more than 369,000 followers. Some people pay money to Kakensa to advertise their products and events on his page. His personal (Henry Ndugwa) account has about 11, 000 followers.
Catherine Ruhweza (Mama Tendo)
If you search for Mama Tendo online, you will find that she is probably the most active social media presence in Uganda, with about a quarter of a million hyperactive women members.
Over a decade ago, a young, freshly married journalist got pregnant and started publishing her maternal health journal.
She delivered a baby named Tendo (gracious marvel) and continued with the journal of his step-by-step development.
She then became a much sought-after parenting speaker and coach. Expectedly, Mama Tendo became a social media forum for mothers to share stuff on parenting, nutrition, etc.
Along the way, relationships became the dominant topic and more recently took a radical turn towards an explicit quest for survival, like how to get out of this unexciting affair, how to get a rich but obedient husband…Unlike your agony aunts of mainstream media, Mama Tendo became quite raw.
A woman raises a complaint about her less than superb husband and gets a few hundred practical tips on how to ditch “the bastard” by close of day. Some of their problems are too graphic to be even alluded to here.
Mama Tendo is equally well followed by women. Sometime ago, I commented on one of their posts but had to stop abruptly when my girlfriend called reprimanding me severely for letting my name get anywhere near “that forum.”
Presumably, she was also following it; how did she see “my name,” in a Mama Tendo debate and acted forthwith to protect it?
Rita Kagwa
Based in the United Kingdom, Ritah Kaggwa specialises in churning out all sorts of gossip, from celebrities to the ordinary folk. Just like Kakensa, she has some of the exclusive gossip around Kampala.
Ritah Kaggwa uses her Facebook page for those who have something to sell, such as land or any other assets. Then there are also those looking for love to settle a score; Kaggwa has welcomed all those. She has more than 124,000 followers on her Facebook account.
In June 2018, Rita got married to a Nigerian Man known as Joseph Oshunkoya.
Ray Supasta aka Mr Popularity
His job is to build brands, and build he has. Ray Supasta’s Facebook page has become a good place to music shows and all sorts of beauty products. He is followed by more than 80,000 people.
Sula Flexible
Sula is a social media influencer and a radio host. He focuses on mainly entertainment and has a Facebook following of around 13,000.
Sula is a professional journalist. He works with Record Radio and for many years was a big presenter on Suubi FM. He is known to pursue his stories to the dot, leaving no stone unturned.
Edward Sendi
If you are the kind that had taken more than the allowed limit for alcohol, then Edward Sendi’s Facebook page was one that was highly recommended if you needed to avoid traffic cops looking out for drunkards. So, in the wee hours of Saturday morning, Sendi would post where the traffic cops were staged.
Along the way, Sendi has become a key influencer online.
