Musician-turned-politician Rachel Magoola has a clear reason for keeping her children largely away from cameras: she does not want them to inherit fame, titles or privileges before they have earned them.
Magoola shared the parenting philosophy while responding to a question about why she rarely puts her children in the public eye. Her message was straightforward — children should have the opportunity to build their own identities and careers rather than depend on their parents’ achievements.
“Why should I front my children on camera? So that they start claiming titles and respect which isn’t theirs?” Magoola asked. “When you give a child respect and titles they don’t deserve, they won’t work.”
For Magoola, the lesson goes beyond keeping children away from celebrity attention. She believes parents should allow their children to experience the process of starting from the bottom, learning the discipline and effort required to achieve their own goals.
“So people should learn that. Let everyone start from where they can and become who they want to be without having to ride on their parents’ achievements and deeds,” she said.
She added that children should understand what it takes to earn money and build a name for themselves rather than assuming those rewards automatically come with their parents’ status.
The comments come as Magoola prepares to celebrate her 60th birthday, a milestone she says she wants to use to challenge the idea that getting older means life is winding down.
Instead, she sees ageing as an opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience while becoming more involved in efforts that benefit other people.
That philosophy has already extended into Magoola’s community work. Beyond her music and political career, she revealed that she has been supporting teenage mothers, including helping some return to school.
Two of the teenage mothers she supported have since progressed to the point of sitting for their Senior Six examinations, according to Magoola.
Her plans now extend further. Magoola revealed that she intends to launch a foundation focused on supporting vulnerable communities, with proposed initiatives including homes for widows, care for orphans, assistance for teenage mothers and access to clean water.
The planned foundation fits into the broader message behind her 60th birthday: that growing older can mean becoming more useful to the people around you, not stepping away from life.
And while Magoola may be choosing to keep her children out of the spotlight, she is increasingly putting her own experience in it — using what she has learned through music, politics and life to help shape the next generation.