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James 'Fatboy' Onen is a radio personality working at Sanyu FM, an FM radio station based in the heart of Kampala, Uganda. He is a presenter on the prime time show, Sanyu Breakast, which runs from Monday to Friday from 6.00am to 10am, and which he co-hosts with Seanice 'Sean' Kacungira. He also has a morning show on Saturday called Alive and Kicking, which airs from 6.00am to 10.00am.

James Onen joined Sanyu FM radio in 1999 after finishing his University degree in India, where he studied for a Bachelor Degree in Commerce. He started out as a presenter on the Afternoon Drive, a show that took place between 2pm and 5pm before moving to the Drive show, a prime time show targeting evening listeners between 5pm and 8pm. With his popularity rising, he was moved to the morning prime time slot to partner Angela 'Crystal' Newman, a vivacious presenter who dabbled as a PR executive. The show's ratings quickly soared but in 2001 James left the station to focus on a career with VR Promotions, an ad agenct. The agency doubled as an events management company, and was famed for three huge concerts involving Lucky Dube, the late South African reggae superstar whose shows sold out soccer stadiums in Uganda.

At VR Promotions, James Onen worked as a Client Services Representative. He left the agency after a two year stint, joining Monitor FM in 2004 as a Program Director. During his time at the show, James was also the anchor of a popular social commentary talk show called Women and Men which broadcast every Saturday. After a year at the station, he was invited back to Sanyu FM to take up the position of Program Director; he was also given back his morning slot between 6am and 10am with his a new co-host, Seanice 'Sean' Kacungira, who had just joined the station from regional FM brand, East African Radio.

Seanice soon left for KISS FM in Nairobi, Kenya, and James, who by now was using the 'Fatboy' moniker as his radio handle, was joined by Melanie, a university graudate with a penchant for being something of a motor mouth. Allan 'Mr. President' Kasujja joined the team a few months later, making it the first time the Sanyu FM Breakfast show had ever had three presenters. Allan Kasujja left to join Capital FM in 2011 leaving James Onen and Melanie as a duo once again. By this time, Melanie had won over the show's listeners, her rapport with Fatboy fuelled by rumours that they were involved romantically, such was the chemistry between the two on air. In 2012, the station announeced that Seanice would be returning to the show after her stint on KISS FM in Nairobi, Kenya, The news shook the entertainment industry, and listerns tuned in to what was being bandied about as 'the Perfect Threesome'.

At about this time, James 'Fatboy' Onen's on air persona began to take a distinct shape. He had been an affable engaging presenter in his early days with Crystal, and with Seanice; during his time with Melanie and Allan 'Mr President' Kasujja he had gone for some form of bafoonery as his persona. But in his stint with the 'Perfect Threesome', a more fleshed out persona, a more thoughtful one with a significant amount of things to say, and with a uniquely thought out mode of debating his position, emerged. The new Fatboy was darker, but even more compelling. He retained his ability for humour, as represented by his alter ego F-Bizzy whom he used to release songs including the politically satirical 'CHOGM' hit as well as his absurdly hilarious Valentine song 'Be My Valentine'.

His new persona was centered around three of his favorite topics: religion, feminism and marriage, on which he has views that vary wildly from what is held within mainstream thinking. While he touched on other issues, like the inadequacy of Uganda's education system as well as homosexuality, these three areas proved to be his core focus, with his views on them causing something of a furor in what is still largely a conservative society.

Fatboy and The Alive and Kicking Show:

Alive and Kicking is a show that James 'Fatboy' Onen presents every Saturday morning from 6am to 10am on Sanyu FM. He presents it as a solo presenter, and admits that this is probably the radio show where he is mostly 'himself'. The show has a frenetic umtempo format, with news, information on celebreties and the entertainment industry. He often has guests on the show, from social commentators to musicians as well as policy makers.

Fatboy in the Media:

Both the tabloids and the mainstream media in Uganda cannot seem to get enough of the charismatic and controversial radio presenter. He has been on the cover of the country's leading tabloid, The Kampala Sun twice, while the mainstream media, including newspaper daillies as well as magazines seek him out for his vews on marraige, feminism, religion, as well as other popular topics that feature on the social commentary landscape. The tabloids focus on his love life (he is not married but is dating) and the boisterous parties he likes to throw.

Fatboy and Social Media:

Fatboy is active on both Twitter and Facebook, but it is on Facebook where he has a significant following, and where he is mostly active. He has been able to create an interactive relationship between his radio persona and his online one; they feed off each other quite effectively.

Freethought Kampala:

James 'Fatboy' Onen is also one of the founding members of Freethought Kampala, a group whose focus is dissemination of ideas and philosophical and scientific perspectives on everyday life using logical and rational thought. The group is often perceived as an atheist group but has several memebrs with religous leanings.

Fatboy and Marriage, Feminism and Religion:

James 'Fatboy' Onen's views on these three subjects are well documented. He believes marriage is an outdated social institution and eloquently quotes data in support of this, as well as logical postulations on the chainging social landscape that make it unrealistic and unattractive to men as a prospect. He also thinks the women's liberation movement overstretched itself, and that feminism is desperately flawed in the assumptions it made, derailed from the original goals of the womens lib movement of the 1960s by female activists. Fatboy is also an atheist, and often debates with religious leaders on the subject of morals and the existence of God as well as the nature of religion in society and its inherent flaws.

Nocturnal, the band

James is a founding member and lead singer and bassist for the band Nocturnal, a blues and rock music outfit in Kampala. The band officially debuted at the MTN Uganda VIP launch in Kampala at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel before going on to perform regularly at the hotel on a weekly basis as the in-house band. It evolved from its earlier roots as an R & B and acoustic ensemble to a purely blues format. Nocturnal currently plays sporadically.