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THE STANDARD LIFESTYLE Simon Kihara Macharia aka Musaimo at his studio on River Road, Nairobi. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard] As the General Election fever hit fever pitch in 1979, a titanic battle was brewing in Murang’a’s Kangema Constituency between Joseph Kamotho and John Michuki. It was the first elections in the Moi era and having left his civil servant job to join the murky world of politics, Michuki was ready to take on Kamotho, the incumbent then. “I was home since I was struggling with school fees. At this young age, I had developed love for music and I had a guitar. In-between my casual gigs at construction sites, I would play the guitar as my peers discussed politics,” says Simon Kihara aka Musaimo wa Njeri, the benga musician whose fortunes changed thanks to the heated Kangema politics at the time. ....
May 23rd 2021 at 12:00:00 GMT +0300 A legendary Gikuyu musician is living in abject poverty in Murang’a even as some of his songs enjoy extensive airplay on leading vernacular television and radio stations. Moses Wanyoike, 65, was once a household name in Mugithi music and his Muthithi Komesha Band was among the most sought after in the entertainment industry in major towns until his star dimmed decades ago. Some of his popular hits that still play on native FM stations include ‘Ndacoka Muthithi (Return to Muthithi), Macindano ma Ago (Competition in witchcraft), Coka Mucii No Nguka (I’m coming back strong) and Nyumba yakwa Mathare (My House in Mathare). ....