At the burial of Clare Choppa in Rwiziringiro, Isingiro District on Monday, Bobi Wine delivered a heartfelt tribute, saying he owed much of his stardom to the late media personality.
“If it wasn’t for Clare Choppa’s kindness and belief in me when I was still a struggling ragga artist, I would never have broken through in Western Uganda or even nationally,” Bobi Wine said.
Recalling their first encounter in December 2001, Bobi Wine said he and a group of fellow artists had traveled to Rwebikoona, then part of Mbarara Municipality, in a bid to promote their music. At the time, he was a little-known singer, desperate to get his songs on air.
“I used to listen to Radio West a lot. It had a huge listenership across Western Uganda. That night, I walked to the station at around 11pm hoping to submit my music, but the manager had already left. I ended up sleeping on a bench in the station’s reception area,” he recalled.
The following morning, at around 6am, Clare Choppa arrived—dressed in a long white jacket.
Expecting the station manager to be a man, Bobi was surprised to meet a woman. After exchanging pleasantries, he introduced himself and handed over his CD, which included the track Akagoma Ka Lubendela.
“She listened to it, liked the beat, and even asked if I had an a cappella version. I waited for three weeks. Then, one day, I heard my song playing on Radio West—it was on Choppa’s program. That was the first time my name echoed across the entire region,” Bobi Wine said.
That breakthrough moment, he said, set him on a new trajectory. “She opened the door. I wasn’t signed under any manager, I was pushing my music alone, and Choppa gave me a chance,” he said.
In early 2002, Bobi Wine received a call from a radio presenter named Blackman Ambrose, inviting him for a performance—an opportunity that came through Choppa’s recommendation.
“I asked for Shs 100,000, assuming they’d say no, but they accepted. Had I known it was on Choppa’s referral, I would have performed for free. But she insisted I should be paid because I needed the money,” he said.
“That performance changed my life. When I returned to Kampala, I was a different Bobi Wine. It all started with Choppa. You would not know me today if it wasn’t for her,” he added.
Also speaking at the funeral, Clare Choppa’s brother Perez Rumanzi revealed that she had recently confided in him about her decision to leave the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and join the NUP. Kyagulanyi welcomed the move, expressing gratitude for her support while she was still alive.
