Ugandan music star Joseph Mayanja, popularly known as Jose Chameleone, has threatened to sue veteran entertainment journalist Josephat Seguya over allegations that a DNA test allegedly revealed that one of his children is not biologically his.
The dispute stems from a Facebook post by Seguya that has since gone viral on social media. In the post, the journalist claimed that Chameleone had conducted DNA tests on his children and that the results showed one child was not biologically related to the singer.
The post read: “Jose Chameleone’s DNA throws out one of his children.”
The claims sparked an angry response from Chameleone, who dismissed them as false, malicious and defamatory.
In a post on X, the singer vowed to seek legal redress, accusing Seguya of spreading falsehoods in pursuit of attention.
“I am very devastated by this false allegation, Mr Seguya. You might pay a very big price whilst looking for attention. You are slowly opening a can of worms. This is not true. You have taken your lies really far, and I guess we are going to deal with this in court. Stop your malicious allegations right now,” Chameleone wrote.
The allegations come at a time when DNA testing has become a major topic of public debate in Uganda following the release of DNA test results involving the late pop singer Paul Kafeero.
Tests conducted on 25 people who claimed to be Kafeero’s children reportedly established that only four were biologically related to the deceased musician, while the remaining 21 were not.
The findings reignited public debate over paternity testing, with some Ugandans calling for routine DNA tests at childbirth to eliminate doubts over paternity, while others argue that such a practice could undermine trust within families.
Chameleone and Seguya have previously had a strained relationship, with the singer on several occasions accusing the journalist of persistently publishing negative stories about him.
The latest threat of legal action comes months after Chameleone finalized his divorce from Daniella Atim, who has been living in the United States for several years.
Several Ugandan public figures have previously spoken openly about DNA test results showing that some children they had raised were not biologically theirs. They include musician Mathias Walukagga, who later released the song Ekitawuluzi advocating for DNA testing at childbirth, as well as events promoters Abitex and Bajjo, who have publicly shared similar experiences.
As of publication, Seguya had not publicly responded to Chameleone’s threat to take the matter to court.
