KAKAI: THE BENGA PROTEGE WHO OUTSHONE THE MASTERS

KAKAI: THE BENGA PROTEGE WHO OUTSHONE THE MASTERS

The Benga earthquake happened in the mid-1950s. Its epicenter was Nyanza, then known as Kavirondo at the 'tie dero' (beside a granary) on the shores of Lake Victoria. 

A choice of a 'tie dero' happened intentionally to keep children and at times women, off the lyrics that would occasionally veer off to what would pass as explicit. 

With the arrival of European explorers, a convergence of civilization occurred and the same beat began discarding the old nyatiti and replacing it with contemporary Spanish acoustic, and with the advent of recording technology, the shockwaves began reverberating beyond its Nyanza birthplace. The father of benga music is John Ogara, who created the Ogara Boy Band in the early 1960s.

The music spread across the country, to the Coastal Kenya, Central Kenya, Western Kenya and Eastern Kenya. It also crossed the boundaries of the country into Zimbabwe and Namibia and even crossed the Atlantic into the Caribbean, where the genre got a big following.

Among the communities that adopted benga as their child, one which adoringly clinged to the child and jealousy held the child afraid to let it go, are the Kamba community of lower Eastern Kenya. Interestingly even whereas the biological parents of the genre, the Luo musicians began drifting towards Congolese rumba in the false belief that rumba is superior to benga, Kamba's have over the years kept it in it'd authentic form, very undiluted. 

They adopted it and literally owned it. Kambaland has over the years produced a galaxy of musical superstars specializing in this genre. Among the most glowing of these stars was Kakai Kilonzo whose musical exploits have inspired many a younger generations into music.

Born Michael Kilonzo Mwendandu in Kilimambogo Machakos in 1954, the Kenya Yangu hitmaker scaled the heights of success in music to become one of the country's finest, taking Benga to a whole new level. At a tender age, he self-made a guitar which he played for an audience of himself, as he grazed livestock.

Kakai was disadvantaged by a difficult childhood and had to leave home at a tender age to go eke a living in Thika, in a sisal plantation, when he dropped from school due to lack of fees. It is while in Thika that the musical bug bit him. He worked alongside a Joseph Mwania who equally envisioned to become a musician.

From their salaries, they bought guitars which they used to perfom jigs in the evenings for an extra penny. When the duo latter met Francis Danger, John Chuma and Joseph Sila, the legendary Kilimabogo Brothers was born.

The band did their maiden studio recording in 1974. Their first song was 'Katulu na bell bottom'. In the late 1970s, Sila and Mwania separated and created their own ensemble, Kilimabogo Original, with Kakai rebranding his faction Les Kilimabogo an outfit that soared even higher into the 1980s with chart-topping hits. Some of Kakai's most popular songs are Wakumbuke Wazazi, mongering, Baba Mkwe, Kijana Hatari, Ithe wa Metho, Mama Kifagio, and Helena among many more. 

Kakai fell ill and died in 1987 aged only 33. He died young, like Mbaraka who died at 33, and Bavon who died at 26, way below the prime age that musicians hit their peak. He left a name as one of Benga finest and left a large discography to prove this point.

By Jerome Ogolla

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