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Kiswahili)” he laughs, “my repertoire of words include, habari, mzuri sana, Tusker baridi and slang like niko juu, uko down.” He says unlike the rest of East African countries, Kiswahili is not spoken widely in Uganda. “I tend to think that this is because the Idi Amin soldiers spoke largely in Kiswahili and people associated the language with killings.” And speaking of Uganda, Gae admits to missing his home country terribly ‘the air and, yes, the potholes. “But surely, Nairobi has its fair share of potholes?” I quip. “They cannot compare, ours are craters while Kenyan potholes are little ditches,” he replies. We laugh uproariously. However when it comes to the radio industry Gae feels that Kenya takes the cake; “ the radio industry here is sharper and edgier. I like the fact that there is live streaming where the Diaspora gets to listen. I also like that we are trained to engage with whichever product we are endorsing so that it is relatable to listeners.” That said, he says that his country is picking up business wise and he would ultimately like to retire in Uganda. Towards this end, four years ago he set up a business, Zone 7, with his brothers. Zone 7 is a Bar and Restaurant that seems poised for success evidenced by the fact that they are always booked for conferences. He is considering working full time in this area in future but also has plans of running his own production house for which he is already laying the ground work.
On the rare occasion that he is in Uganda, Gae likes hopping onto his motorbike and revving away. His wife, Enid Keishemeza has however forbidden him to ride the bike in Nairobi which she considers too dangerous given the legendary crazy matatu drivers. Gaetano married Enid in July of last year and is very happy with his married status. “Enid is a good wife, she cooks for me and we have a lot to talk about.” Also a journalist, Enid works in Nairobi and like her husband travels a lot. They have shelved having children at the moment; “we are enjoying our marriage for now. You know, children mean added responsibilities but definitely, in the future, we will get there.” So which is his favorite destination in Africa? “Seychelles is beautiful, but very expensive. My favorite place on earth would be Madagascar which is beautiful, quaint, like a postcard.” It is the rainbow country, South Africa that holds his imagination. Having lived in Lesotho in the 1980s during the apartheid, he muses on the long way this country has come. “When I visit Bloemfontein, Ladybrand, I am amazed by the
change I see. SA is not called a rainbow nation for nothing, it has everything,” he enthuses. He knows his way around Cape town, Durban, Pretoria and Jo’ Burg from where they hosted Studio 53. However he never fancies being in SA during the winter, “it’s very cold.” Truly a child of the world, Gae moved to Lesotho at a young age for his high school education at Machabeng High and on to the University of Wisconsin, La-Crosse, USA where he graduated with a degree in political science. He returned to Uganda in 2000 to pursue a law degree at Makerere University. Its while in third year that he appeared in Big Brother. He regularly watches BBA and is of the opinion that subsequent shows have placed more emphasis on the house’s lavish style and ambience rather than the personalities. “I still think ours was the best, for we will always be remembered as the first. And like the UK Big Brother, BBA was threatening to become watered down but this year’s All Stars was different and interesting.” Gaetano especially liked the ‘barn’ concept, where contestants were allowed to stay and some were later voted back to the big brother house. “Bringing back the stars added to the drama and I feel the winner is luckier for bagging $200,000. During our time, it was $100,000. I also feel Big Brother gives the contestants more alcohol than he gave us… ah, I am only kidding.”
“For a woman to win Big Brother, she needs to be either extremely good or extremely bad...”
Still on the money issue, Gae thinks Zimbabwean Munya was extremely lucky not to
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