Renowned singer Irene Namubiru has revealed shocking details about her troubled relationship with her mother, stemming from events in 2013.
Speaking during the Tusker Malt Conversations organised by Swangz Avenue, a platform that brings together different artists to share their past experiences, current projects, and perform, Namubiru recounted a painful experience that led to an 11-year estrangement from her mother.
The singer, known for her soulful music and emotional lyrics such as Nkuweki, Mpulira, and Nsonyiwa, shared that after surviving a traumatic incident in Japan, she returned home only to face rejection from her own family.
She was shocked to learn that her mother and siblings were aware of the drug-related allegations against her.
What hurt her most was her mother’s alleged involvement in framing her as a betrayal, which she says left her deeply traumatised.
“My own mother was part of the scheme to frame me. That is something that paralysed me, and I have never recovered from that shock,” she revealed.
Namubiru recounted how, upon returning home, she faced hostility from her own family, which was worsened by the sudden death of her father just three weeks after the Japan incident.
“When I came back, I was tormented by my own mother and my siblings, and then my father died just three weeks after the Japan incident,” she recounted.
Hoping for an open conversation with her mother to clear the air about the drug-smuggling allegations claims she vehemently denied Namubiru was instead met with rejection.
“She banged the door and told me, ‘I don’t want to listen to what you are saying,’ before I even said what I wanted to talk about,” Namubiru recalled.
Feeling unheard and deeply hurt, she resorted to recording their exchanges as proof of the mistreatment she faced.
The emotional scars from the ordeal, she admitted, have never healed.
She has not spoken to her mother in over a decade and confessed that even hearing her mother’s voice makes her physically sick.
“I don’t know anyone who has disparaged me as much as my own mother in this world,” she said.
Namubiru further disclosed that she has written a book detailing her experiences.
However, a publisher advised her to wait before releasing it due to the sensitive nature of its contents.
“I have a manuscript, and I have recordings. Maybe if I die, the book will be published, and the audio recordings will be released,” she stated.
Despite the pain, she emphasised the importance of parents listening to their children and acknowledging their mistakes.
In 2013, Irene Namubiru was arrested in Japan with MDGF, a narcotic drug made from cocaine, worth Shs 1.9 billion.
The drugs were concealed in portraits of President Museveni and the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Mutebi.
Namubiru spent one month in jail before being miraculously set free.
Her Japanese lawyers successfully convinced the court that she was an unwitting courier, tricked by her promoter into transporting the drugs without her knowledge.
The singer was scheduled to perform for the Ugandan community living in Japan, but the concert was cancelled following her arrest.
