Don’t you mess with this man!

The names Dar Robinson and Bobby Hanton may be unfamiliar to many Kenyans, but not to Philip ‘The Mentor’ Muchiri.

Robinson was a renowned American stuntman who died in the 80’s, while Hanton is a 31-year-old Hollywood stuntman that has performed in numerous blockbusters. Muchiri, 29, a stuntman himself, looks up to these individuals, as well as Jackie Chan, who received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles this year.

Muchiri’s interest in stunts began early, as a young boy growing up in Kirinyaga County. Then, like his peers, he enjoyed action films featuring martial artists such as Jean-Claude Van Damme.

“I remember once telling my mum that I would be like Van Damme one day - she laughed, then told me that chances were that Van Damme aspired to be like someone else. My mum was basically advising me to work towards being my own man,” says Philip.

After high school, he joined the Technical University of Mombasa where he studied bio-medical engineering. To fill the time he had on his hands after classes, he decided to set up a karate club at the institution with the help of Simon Jefa, a black belt and former Kenya Karate Champion.

“My college friends appreciated the gesture so much, one remarked in passing that I was a mentor - the name stuck.” 

After graduating, he decided to complement his diploma with a certificate in film editing and then travelled back home to Kirinyaga. With no job forthcoming, he hired a camera and made his first film, titled Gichagi, (slang for village) in 2010.

“The film was inspired by the 1989 movie, Kickboxer, starring Van Damme,” he explains.

What Philip and his four co-stars in Gichagi did not know then was that Van Damme did not actually kick down real walls, and that the audible sounds produced from kicks and fists were manufactured.

“The result was that we ended up with numerous injuries, I for instance seriously hurt myself with a panga while one of my co-stars suffered a dislocation.”

The production of the movie cost Phillip Sh5,000. He then proceeded to make 1,000 copies, and managed to sell 800 of them, each at Sh150.

In 2011, he made another film titled Mtaani, this time using sheng. The movie’s theme centered on drug abuse and was an hour long.

STUNTS ON A MOTORBIKE

It was around this time that he learned how to perform stunts on a motorbike, thanks to a friend, Geoffrey Wanjohi, a fellow self-taught stuntman and karate enthusiast, and who usually stars as the main villain in most of Philip’s films. He also perfected his karate skills, learning under Isaac Mbogo, a green belt who initiated him into the sport.

In 2012, he shot two more films: The Blessed Child and Street Game. Unlike the first two movies, where the marketing was limited, he sold them not only in his village, but all over major towns in Kenya: Kisumu, Embu, Mombasa, Meru, Nakuru among others. To get people interested, he would hire a motobike and perform stunts on his stops, and afterwards, sell his CDs.

In 2014, he decided to shoot a series based on boda bodas and the experiences they go through in the course of their work. It must have been a good idea, because the series was picked up by KTN this year, where it airs every Monday at 8pm.

That’s not all, Philip is set to appear on the second season of Netflix’s Sense 8, which premiers sometime in 2017.

 “I went for auditions at the Kenya National Theatre in July this year and was selected to star as an extra, as a cop. Afterwards I approached one of the directors and showed him some of my video clips, he was so impressed, he offered me a role as a motorbike stuntman in the series – one of my stunt scenes was shot at Toi Market, on Ngong Road.”

To prepare for season 2 of Boda boda, Philip and his fellow actors and stunt performers train and rehearse daily to master their moves to eliminate unscripted scenarios.

When not staging stunts, Philip works as a medical claims auditor with a medical firm in Westlands.

What does the future hold for him?

“My plan is to go international; the wheels have already been set in motion, so watch this space!”

Check out his YouTube channel: Muchiri Mentor