For years, comedian David Katende, popularly known as Omukebete son of Muuke, has made audiences laugh. But his return to the National Theatre stage on October 16, carried a pain no joke could ease: the loss of his wife, Esther Nannungi, his biggest fan and the woman who encouraged him to pursue comedy.
Esther died last month after a four-year battle with lupus, leaving Omukebete and their two children to face life without her. He had considered cancelling his Joking Is Not for Jokers show, but Esther had already bought three VIP tickets.
‘I don’t know where I can find her to refund her money. Even if I put it on her mobile money account, it shall not help because I am the one with her phone,’ he says.
He eventually agreed to perform to honour her wish, but made it clear that he intended to retire.
‘This is going to be the final show of my career,’ he said. ‘Life is so heavy on me. I can’t keep performing without my number one fan. After this show, I will rest.’
A bittersweet love story
Omukebete describes September 2026 as the most painful month of his life. He is learning to sleep without hearing Esther’s familiar words: ‘Sula bulungi Daudi wange’ (sleep well, my David).
‘When the sun sets, the pain gets fresh. Painful, lonely and scary nights,’ he says.
His sister, Ticia Tendo, and other relatives have tried to keep him company, although he admits that grief remains difficult to overcome.
The couple’s four-year struggle began with about two years of unexplained symptoms before doctors at Mulago Hospital diagnosed Esther with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease.
‘The moment felt like a deep sword in our hearts,’ he recalls.
He reassured her: ‘Totya mukwano, wendi era tugenda kukiyitamu fenna’ (Don’t worry, my love. I am here, and we will go through this together).
After crying together in their car for about three hours, they decided to make the most of their time. They went to a restaurant of Esther’s choice, then bought clothes and drove to the beach.
‘We chose to put everything on pause and live on love,’ he says.
Despite regular hospital visits, they treasured road trips, shopping, live-band evenings, family camping and visits to their farm.
‘We always took one day at a time and lived each day as our last day together,’ he says.
Esther once told him his commitment during her illness had convinced her that he would honour his marriage vows.
‘Daudi, the day we shall say ‘for better for worse’ at our wedding I will believe you because you have been there during better and worse days,’ she told him.
She never lived to see their wedding day.
The woman behind the family
Esther managed much of the family’s home and business affairs, including finances, the farm and other ventures. Her death has left Omukebete struggling with responsibilities she previously handled.
‘She left when I don’t know how to pay for electricity, water, etc. She is the one who knew how much each worker at the farm and other projects is demanding,’ he says.
Their children are also learning to cope with the loss. While their first-born, Katende, witnessed much of his mother’s illness, the younger daughter Eliana has a simpler understanding of her death.
‘She was told that mum went to be with Jesus and Jesus has ice cream and yoghurt,’ he says.
Esther also taught the children to pray, be honest, apologise and respect others. She insisted that they learn Luganda at home, despite speaking English at school.
‘I love hearing them speak our indigenous language perfectly,’ Omukebete says, vowing to preserve the values she instilled in them.
The show she wanted
Omukebete says he had battled depression for years, often hiding his pain behind humour, before taking a break from comedy to care for Esther.
‘At times I have been hiding the pain behind jokes and a few gigs because we needed money, but it hasn’t been easy,’ he says.
In May, when Esther’s condition stabilised with medication, she urged him to return to the stage.
‘Now I want to see you back on stage. I want to see you do what you love most. Stage is where you belong,’ she told him.
He booked the National Theatre in July, and Esther gave him money for three VIP tickets. She died before the October show.
The performance was initially planned alongside an inspirational book about using humour to hide pain. After her death, he revised his scripts to reflect their ‘bittersweet love story’.
Esther had always accompanied him to performances and encouraged him with the words: ‘Daudi, essaawa zituuse, tugende obakube nga tobasaasira!’ (It is time. Go and knock them dead[with laughter]; don’t spare them).
This time, he was scheduled to return to the stage without her.
‘Getting ready to go back on stage without her was the most painful event of my career,’ he said.
Omukebete rose to prominence after performing with comedy groups, including The Crackers (Mic Check) and Brainwash Comedy, before co-founding The Small Brothers. He later won the inaugural season of NBS TV’s The Comic in 2018, earning the title Uganda’s ‘Next Comedy Star’.
After his performance, Omukebete placed a portrait of his wife at the exit of the performing area and got the revellers to autograph it in memoriam.