Kakai Kilonzo was a prominent Kenyan musician and band leader, born in 1954 in Kilimambogo, Machakos District. Due to his family's inability to pay school fees, he dropped out after only three years of primary school and began working as a herdsman. During this time, the ingenious young boy crafted a guitar from a metal can and wire strings to entertain himself. His musical journey began to formalize in the early 1970s when he got a job at a pineapple plantation. He purchased an acoustic guitar in 1972 and began performing at local evening parties. A shared interest in music led him to form a trio with his co-worker Joseph Mwania and Joseph Sila, initially naming themselves Kilimambogo Brothers.
The Kilimambogo Brothers released their first recording in 1975 and quickly gained traction. In 1978, the group split when Mwania and Sila left to form Original Kilimambogo Stars, while Kakai renamed his faction Les Kilimambogo. Kakai's intricate guitar melodies established his music under the popular Benga genre. While he initially sang in Kamba, his native language, he rose to national fame by composing songs in Swahili, broadening his audience. His music often featured lyrics laced with humor and satirical remarks, addressing social issues, morality, and community life. Kakai Kilonzo tragically passed away in 1987 at the young age of 33, after a brief illness diagnosed as cerebral malaria. His legacy as a pioneer of modern Kenyan music, whose influence continues to be felt through reissues and airplay, endures.