lifestyle 28 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Martha Kay on Range Rovers, 'Soft Life,' and Kampala Dating Norms
Ugandan personality Martha Kay discusses common perceptions about her, her personal habits, and the realities of dating in Kampala, surprisingly defending kneeling for a partner if the love is genuine. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/lifestyle/entertainment/the-faith-ugandans-have-in-m-bank-account-is-flattering-5477382
Martha Kay, known for her distinct public persona and association with Kampala’s “soft life” scene, recently addressed various aspects of her life and perceptions surrounding it. One of the most frequent questions she receives is about her ownership of a Range Rover. Kay affirmed her loyalty to the brand, humorously noting she’s unsure if the question stems from genuine happiness for her or a desire to mock her.
Despite her “soft life” image, Kay is critical of certain dating behaviors normalized in Kampala. She touches on the prevalence of “tugabane” culture, where relationship exclusivity is often disregarded, and interactions become transactional rather than connection-based. “Romance is dying,” she lamented, expressing a preference for older dating dynamics.
When asked about kneeling for a man, Kay stated she wouldn’t rule it out if she were deeply in love, emphasizing that such gestures should be genuine rather than performative. She also revealed that she is financially disciplined, saving a significant portion of her income. Her “broke” period was spent in Nairobi for nearly a year, solely relying on savings due to health issues.
Reflecting on her public image, Kay mentioned hearing a rumor that she was the second wife of a government official who had supposedly bought her a house and a Range Rover, when in reality she was living with her mother and driving a car she disliked. More recently, she’s been impressed by the public’s belief in her financial capacity, evidenced by plastic surgery rumors following her weight loss.
Kay also shared a humorous public mishap where she mistook an MC reaching for a well-known Kenyan artist for a greeting directed at her, leading to a table-wide drink spill. On friendships, she values loyalty and finds it concerning how casually people criticize friends they publicly praise. She believes genuine friendships disappear faster than end-of-month salaries in Kampala, the latter being a “traumatizing” experience.