Ugandan music legend Jose Chameleone, real name Joseph Mayanja is facing a bitter legal battle after his wife Daniella Atim filed for divorce, bringing an end to their 17-year marriage.

Court filings showed Daniella petitioned the Family Division of the High Court in Kampala on March 20, 2025, through Wamimbi Advocates and Solicitors, accusing the superstar of abandoning her for five years.

According to New Vision, she claimed the separation had left her emotionally distressed and mildly depressed.

“The respondent’s lack of love, compassion, and empathy has irreparably damaged our relationship, making reconciliation impossible. There is no collusion, connivance as to the dissolution of the marriage between us,” her application stated.

This is not her first attempt to formally end the marriage. In April 2023, she issued a divorce notice, then accusing Chameleone of cruelty and infidelity.

The couple, who wed on June 7, 2008, at St. James Catholic Parish Bbiina-Mutungo, Kampala, share five children: Abba (19), Alfa (16), Alba (13), Amma (11), and Xara (6). They had settled in Sseguku, Wakiso District before relocating to the United States in 2018.

In her latest filing, Daniella is seeking full custody of the children, ownership of the Sseguku home, alimony, child maintenance, and legal costs.

The “Valu Valu” hitmaker has rejected his wife’s accusations, arguing that his music career often kept him away but never amounted to abandonment. He said the decision to relocate to the US was mutual and that he even purchased a house there for his family.

According to Chameleone, their marital problems began after the move when Daniella allegedly became “distant, intolerant, and confrontational.”

He further accused her of exposing private disputes on social media, which he claimed caused him psychological strain and even landed him in hospital.

Chameleone denied neglecting his children and claimed Daniella had influenced some of them to turn against him. He urged the court to dismiss her petition with costs, insisting the Sseguku property should remain a family home for the children whenever they are in Uganda.

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He also opposed her demand for alimony, saying she is employed in the US and capable of supporting herself. Instead, he is pushing for joint custody and shared financial responsibility for the children.

While admitting the marriage had broken down, he requested the court to award him costs.