Just as Christianity was born in the Middle East, adopted by Europeans who nurtured it, and finally domesticated in Africa, benga was born in Nyanza, popularized across the whole country, and later domesticated by the Kamba. 

If one were to sample the best benga songs recorded in the last decade, there would be very little, if anything, from the genre's ancestral home in Nyanza. It's Kamba musicians who've, over time, remained faithful to this music, which has also been identified as the most predominant beat in Kenya, especially after the decline of twist.

Is benga on its way to extinction?

This is a reality that should worry music enthusiasts and stakeholders. Nyanza was the bastion of benga in the 1970s and 1980s. The music was played at almost all social functions, both recorded and live concerts. Musicians were the biggest superstars in town.

Celebrity gossip around the genre was the in-thing, and every move by a musician—a new release, a defection, or otherwise—was keenly followed by fans. That's not the case today. It's not just about the decline in enthusiasm for the music; it's also about emerging genres like ohangla dethroning benga. Furthermore, some other musicians are doing a type of benga that bends toward Congolese rumba, in a way that makes the genre lose its identity rapidly.

Sampling songs from top musicians in the region, such as Prezda Bandason, Johnny Junior, and Odhiambo Tusker, one notices how far the genre has derailed from its former self. This is in stark contrast to the benga created by Collela Mazee, D.O. Misiani, and Okatch Biggy, a genre that was defined by dominant solo guitar riffs plucked in the melody of the vocals and timed interchangeably with the singing.

The genre also featured a unique rhythm guitar—sometimes two of them—that, together with a high-tempo drum, provided the template for the song. The music didn't feature other spices like saxophones, trumpets, keyboards, or extra percussion. Thematically, the genre was predominantly centered on love, though some songs were composed to praise iconic individuals. Today, the music is much closer to Congolese rumba, with some musicians even picking lines in Lingala, playing the guitar in the rumba style, and extending the average length of songs beyond the four to five minutes that defined traditional benga. With this, it's almost safe to conclude that benga is on its way out.

The decline in the genre is also noticeable in Central Kenya. Whereas Kamaru, D.K., Peter Kigia, Queen Jane, and Musaimo made it big in the 1970s and 1980s, mugithi and the one-man guitar craze seem to have dethroned benga from the central position it occupied in its golden days. Although some musicians like Joe Mopero are still recording and performing benga in its original form, it's almost safe to conclude that the vibrancy of the genre in the local music scene has significantly eroded.

It's only in Ukambani that the vibrancy of benga seems to be thriving. Every upcoming musician struggles to learn the guitar, which is the engine that drives benga. Musicians like Tumbo can play all the instruments, a far cry from an ohangla musician from Nyanza who may not be able to play any particular instrument. A typical YouTube video by Hiramix Mwendwa, Mwalili Junior, or Jose Tosh, focusing on rhythm, solo, and bass, presents a sound closer to the original benga beat by Collela Mazee and other pioneers than what's being produced today in Nyanza.

Ukambani musicians have capitalized on technological advancements to bring benga to a new audience rather than adulterating the genre. For example, Alex Kasau records his practice sessions and studio work at his Kisinga Studios and posts them on YouTube. This provides fans with an insightful experience of how benga is made, something that was previously unseen.

Whereas advancements in technology have often been blamed for degrading creativity, in some cases, they have enhanced it. For lovers of unadulterated benga, these YouTube episodes are apt platforms to celebrate talent. With benga disappearing by mutating into something else in other regions, Kamba musicians have, over the years, retained its true identity in a way that the pioneer musicians of the region would be proud of were they to come back to life.

Apart from twist, which was very popular in the 1960s, other genres considered Kenyan include chakacha and bango from the Coast, ohangla from Nyanza, and many others from across the country. However, none spread as widely in Kenya and beyond as benga, hence becoming the country's musical identity.

Kamba musicians should now continue popularizing it to restore its dwindling fame.

By Jerome Ogola