State donates music equipment to Bondo-based band

A boat on the shores of Lake Victoria. Nine people drowned when a boat capsized in the lake on June 25, 2016. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The government has given an ultra-modern set of music equipment worth Sh3 million towards the revival of a band whose nine members perished in a boat accident in Lake Victoria in June last year.

The Bondo-based band, Boyieta Boys 'Ohangla' Band, received the music equipment from President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Kisumu State Lodge during his visit at the lakeside city this week in the company of the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Arts Dr Hassan Wario and the Principal Secretary Mr Joe Okudo.

Mr Okudo, in a statement on Saturday, said that the donation was part of the pledge by the government through the ministry to revive the band after their tragedy was highlighted in various media in the country last year.

“We were keen to ensure that the youthful talent of the Boyieta team did not disappear with the trauma of the members’ death and their revival has been an inspiration to other fledgling artists,” said Mr Okudo explaining the government intervention and interest in the band.

Mr Okudo said that the Culture Policy recognized the need to exploit artistic talent for income generation and gainful engagement for young people adding that the ministry will continue to network with artists across the country as resolved during the National Creative Economy Conference held in Nairobi, in October 2016.

President Kenyatta had donated a total of Sh900, 000 to the nine bereaved families during their funeral in July last year and in February this year, the reconstituted Boyieta Band of sixteen members, also underwent a three-week retraining and counselling program in Nairobi under the Permanent Presidential Music Commission (PPMC) Director Dr Donald Otoyo.

The Timothy Otieno-led band was also assisted in recording and marketing of their music. The band leader thanked the government for the gesture.

“It is a miracle that I have been helped to my feet and given new equipment to entertain my increasingly big fan base” said the 24-year old from Awasi Kisumu,who  dropped out of Primary School on account of extreme poverty of his parents.

The 17-member band was en route to a series of performances in Oyamo and Ndeda islands when their boat capsized in June 25 with only nine members surviving.

Post the tragedy, Timothy Otieno alias ‘Boyieta Wuod Awasi’ has been topping the Luo music charts with his hit song ‘Dile Achiel' (Luo for ‘one goat), a narrative of a desperately poor suitor who goes after his run-away spouse ‘armed’ only with one goat (rather than a cow as demanded by Luo culture), in an attempt to make amends with his in-laws.