While Franco served a six-month jail term in Makala Prison in Kinshasa for composing two songs, "Jackie" and "Heleni," considered explicit and lurid, an almost similar occurrence was happening simultaneously in Nairobi. Musician Daniel Kamau Mwai, popularly known as DK, was facing charges in court for composing two songs, "Nana" and "Mwithua," both of whose lyrics had been censored as graphic.

Luckily for DK, he was never convicted and was instead acquitted of the charges. He had been in the music scene for almost a decade and was already a household name, having created a band that went on to record some of the most popular songs of the era.

In a classic case of adopting, repackaging, and re-exporting a product, benga originated from what was then known as Central Nyanza in the 1950s and 1960s—an evolution made possible by players like John Ogara and others. Once the reverberating beats of the genre made it across the country, it took the musical genius of DK and his peers to make it even better and more popular far and wide, including in its birthplace.

DK, the trailblazer of Kikuyu benga, was born in Murang’a in 1949. It wasn’t difficult for him to learn how to play the guitar, as several of his siblings were musicians. His debut was in 1968, when David Amunga, then an already established name, aided him in recording two singles titled "Kenyatta" and "Mami, Tiga Guthura." David Amunga was a central figure in the country’s entertainment in those days.

However, it wasn’t until 1970 that he released the hit song "Murata," also known as "I Love You," which made him a celebrity. The song became an instant hit, with its popularity spreading fast across the country, even to regions that had hitherto never embraced Kikuyu music, like Nyanza.

Having established his own recording studio and record label, he reaped maximally from the proceeds of his musical exploits, a phenomenon that cannot be said of other musicians, who had to pay studio fees or sign contracts with third parties that often turned exploitative. The marketing of music records has been cited as the Waterloo of many a musician’s attempt to make economic sense of their creativity.

With a musical brain and an entrepreneurial thirst for success, in the late 1970s, he attempted a new rung, a venture that bore fruit when he contested and won a councilor seat in Gatanga Ward, which he held until 1992. This meant that for over a decade, he had to strike a delicate balance, juggling art and politics. Nonetheless, this new engagement didn’t stop him from recording new songs and performing gigs. He was more of a full-time musician and a part-time politician, as opposed to the reverse, which looked more plausible.

It also happened that there was an influx of Congolese expatriate musicians in the country in the 1970s and 1980s, creating a very vibrant music industry and a rich nightlife. Smarting from the realities of independence, Africans in the cities were redefining themselves, and art was evolving from themes of colonialism. In this context, local music, that done in indigenous Kenyan languages, seemed to find favor over that by Congolese bands.

In this respect, established clubs in Nairobi literally fought for the signatures of the big local musical names, and this explains the surge in the popularity of DK and others in that era.

A prolific composer, DK has released hundreds of songs over the years. Some of his hit songs include "Ciru," "Jane," and others, all done in his native Kikuyu language. He has also mentored a litany of stars in his band.

DK also survived the turbulence of the music industry occasioned by changing dynamics that saw many bands fold and several musicians retire or quit. With the advent of technology, he embraced it—starting to record videos and diversifying into new ways of marketing his music, capitalizing on technology for wider reach.

At 75, Daniel Kamau remains one of the most formidable pillars in the Kenyan music industry, with numerous recordings and a large fan base.

By Jerome Ogola

Jabulani Radio

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