Divine Joyce Katushabe, an accountant, gospel singer and author. Photo | Courtesy
She is charming on screen while belting out gospel music. Her softivine Joyce Katushabe, 25, an accountant, gospel artiste and author of gospel and bible-related books committed herself to God in 2002 when she was only four years old. She has released several gospel songs. How Katushabe balances these is fascinating.
Katushabe who is an accountant at T&T Delight Investment Company says she was always amazed at the intelligence of accountants that she could not wait to pursue accountancy. Even when she joined the profession, she found work different from what is taught in class.
“I have now spent three years on my accounting job where I file financial returns and do other money-related activities. I have learnt a lot on the job as opposed to my expectations,” Katushabe shares.
From these experiences, she has learnt how to handle businesses and other related occurrences. She advises those who admire accountants to check if they have passion.
“It is better when someone is pursuing an accounting career to join out of passion than the love of money. When one does things out of passion they do them smartly,” she shares.
About how she joined music
Katushabe has been engaged in church activities including music for a bigger part of her life. During her childhood, she was singing in school and church choirs. She now has a couple of songs including Wabikoze, Endimi Zoona, Nasinza, Running to Your Name and Uri Mwiza.
“I have sung since I was very young, until May 2022 when I went to studio in Andrew’s Mbarara to record my first ever gospel song,” Katushabe shares.
Katushabe says recording her songs was one of the things she was meant to do as a Born-Again compelled by the spirit of God.
“I realised singing was part of the things I needed to do with my life, I felt that this was one of the things I was meant to do. I opted for gospel music because I find sense in singing for Jesus because He is the only one I have,” she said
The singer finds satisfaction in pleasing God through her gospel music much as she has not had monetary gains.
“True, I have not made much money from music but I am satisfied. I cannot fail to serve God because they have not paid me. My first goal is to feel that I am doing which is what God has called me to do not money, fame or anything else,” she says.
The bumpy ride
However, like any other activity, she faces challenges from people who offer support wanting something in return as she advised girls in the same industry to always be careful about those who come to them promising support.
“There are bad people who come pretending to offer help but with bad intentions. They say they want to help you get up there but when you sit back and mull it, their intentions are not pure,” she states.
Katushabe says she has a lot in store music-wise.
Asked when she started writing bible-related books, Katushabe says she started in 2022 and has so far published two including The Way of Greatness and Empy It and she is midway the third one.
In her book, The Way of Greatness published in 2022, Katushabe meant what being great means according to the Bible since the world has its definition of being great. Then, in Empty It published in early 2023, she meant to explain the mind one gets after they become Born Again, the perception and the thoughts they have as it explains what the bible says about being Born Again.
At first, she did not like writing but along the way, she decided to spread her gospel through writing.
“I did not love writing but along the way, I said to myself: I can preach, I can sing but there is something I need to add on. That is when I decided to put my gospel in writing,” she recounts.
It is a process to come up with topics to write about and it costs her around Shs 30,000 to print out a book which she sells at Shs 35,000 or Shs 40,000 or sometimes she distributes them for free.
Katushabe enjoys writing because it is the only way she pours out her heart on paper to reach out to her fellow God-fearing people. Her challenges include handling, publishing and marketing books since locals do not enjoy reading. Even then, some are illiterate.
Katushabe whose favourite author is Joyce Meyer uses social media platforms to market her books and she believes she will be where she wants to be soon.
“I post my social media platforms to talk about my books then people reach out to me. I also market my books by word of mouth through friends,” she says.
Brief background
Born in May 1998 in Katebe, Kashari in Mbarara District to Richard Mugume and Mbabazi Monica, Katushabe studied at Wagawaga Primary School in Rutooma, then Senior Four at Kashaka Girls’ Secondary School in Mbarara before joining Senior Six at Merryland High School in Entebbe. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Makerere University Business School.
IN SHORT
Divine Joyce Katushabe grew up in a God-fearing family of the Born Again. Initially, she got committed to the Almighty at a tender age until she grew up and tasted the real meaning of salvation in her life.
“My mother always tells me that I actually gave my life to Christ when I was four years old at a crusade mission in our village. When they made an altar call for those who wanted to repent, I joined others and we walked to the front,” Katushabe says.
Katushabe balances her professional accounting work, music and writing books in an interesting way, she apportions appropriate time for each one of the activities.
“All the activities I do, do not require the same amount of time and attention. If I am working on a book, I give it more time and the other way round,” she explains.
A single and free young girl as Katushabe describes herself, she spends most of her free time reading books.
