Forget the stock market, Kenya’s millionaires are entertainers

Today Charles Bukeko will take his family out to a fancy restaurant in Nairobi to eat together in the spirit of Easter celebration. He can afford it, in sharp contrast to a few years back when hunger was a part of his life.

Just the other day, Mr Bukeko would walk all the way to town from Eastlands because he could not afford the Sh10 matatu (public minivan) fare. Now the worst seems to be over as Mr Bukeko is a millionaire and a celebrity of international repute.

Having a conversation with him in public for five uninterrupted minutes is next to impossible. Hardly a minute goes without someone coming over and yelling “Brrr!” to him or shouting out his on-screen name, Papa Shirandula. The greatest attention comes from security guards, who can never let him pass by without violently shaking his hand as they try to tell him how much they love his show and enquire why he decided not to tell his on-screen wife what he does.

He is used to this status and basks in its glory with humility. That’s understandable, considering that he was recently broke and living on nothing but hope for a better day. But the reception in Kenya is nothing compared to the kind he gets whenever visits other countries.

On his last tour to Mauritius, for example, one would have been forgiven for thinking he was a political figure or a Hollywood celebrity. Though he has always received first class treatment abroad, the experience was a bit of a surprise.

Private security

“They had four fully armed, private security guys in shades and suits, and before I checked into my room, they had sniffer dogs check out if the room was safe,” he said. There was even an armed man stationed outside his hotel room. Then he got a surprise call.

“I was informed that the president wanted to say hi to me over dinner. I thought someone was playing tricks on me but, luckily, it was for real.”

“He was so happy to meet me because of the Coke ad, and he had seen the Vodacom South Africa one where I acted as Idi Amin. There was nothing specific we talked about, but it was one moment I will never forget,” he said. The president knew of Bukeko’s arrival from the media.

In South Africa, Mr Bukeko is a superstar. The hotel where he stays is usually kept secret for security reasons. Crowds of fans would jam the lobby to say hello if they knew the location. When he goes down south, he is received by Kenya’s ambassador, who also sees him off at the airport.

He recalls a time when a security guard mishandled his luggage at Oliver Tambo Airport, and he was angry. “He ran to call for backup and when they came, they realised who I was, and we started laughing and shaking hands. Before I knew it, I had been whisked away to the VIP section, and it has been like that every time I travel to South Africa,” he said.

All this started with the “Brrr” advert for Coke. The promotion has run around the globe wherever Coca-Cola is sold, and even though few know his name outside Kenya, Mr Bukeko’s face is recognisable everywhere. Interestingly, he does not hav a manager, and negotiated the Coke deal on his own.

“I met with a director of Coke from Atlanta, and he told me he was trying to come up with a concept involving an African politician who has travelled to a workshop in a very hot area. He was looking for a way to express the tingly feeling one feels after taking a cold Coke, and we came up with the “Brrr!” effect,” he recalled.

Although he won’t give details, Mr Bukeko does acknowledge that the money he has received from the promotion, said to be millions of shillings, is beyond his wildest of dreams. Today it is hard to imagine that he once walked from Nairobi’s Eastlands to the city centre because he could not raise the fare. He drives top-of-the-range cars.

“I never thought this would be possible a few months ago,” he says. This year, he is scheduled for a month-long activation programme in Asia. A reputable stage actor, Mr Bukeko still remembers how he used to hang out at the Kenya National Theatre trying to get a gig. There were many of them, and some are still waiting for their big break.