Achieng’ Abura, like Sauti Sol, strived to make music a job

In 2010, I travelled with Sauti Sol to The 5th Global YES Summit – Rework the World in Leksand, a beautiful town northwest of the Swedish capital, Stockholm. They  were performing at the event and I was moderating a small side session. We all flew cattle class and when we landed at Arlanda Airport, boarded the buses the organisers had arranged for the three-hour drive.

“There is no special treatment for artistes?” band member Bien-Aimé Baraza wondered aloud when we arrived and there was still nobody to receive them.

It was a fairly large event, with about 2,000 “changemakers” from around the world – entrepreneurs, innovators, leaders and me.

When they finally hit the stage, they had that international audience on their feet throughout their set, dancing to songs like "Lazizi" and "Blue Uniform". It was a proud moment watching them use the power of music to transcend culture and language and bring joy to people who would never know what the Swahili words meant. I’ve watched them numerous times after that, but that specific performance in early June remains my favourite to date.

I met the late Achieng’ Abura in April last year during the Garissa Memorial Concert at Uhuru Park. I had been a fan of hers for many years and was excited to finally meet her. She performed her song, "Maisha", while simultaneously doing justice to the piano.

“I am a mother, so I understand the pain of the mothers of the 148 lives we lost,” she said.

I AM PARAPHRASING

I am paraphrasing but the message is in there. When we thought she was done, she launched into a most powerful rendition of We Shall Overcome. When she was done, many were wiping away tears.

I watched that footage again on Friday with a heavy heart and renewed appreciation for her talent as we prepared for a tribute show to the national treasure that she was. It is during that concert that I requested her to come to #theTrend and she graciously agreed.

A month later, I was honoured to welcome her to our set for two outstanding performances and an especially illuminating conversation on music, education and the two-thirds gender debate.

“Apart from music, what else do you do?”

Kenyan musicians are tired of hearing that question from interviewers, fans and their parents. Even in 2016, music is still seen as a side job, something you do in your free time when you’re not at your actual job. For Abura, like Sauti Sol, that is all she did. Her first single was released in 1990, when most of this Snapchat generation had not even been born.

“I want my music to change somebody’s opinion about life,” she once said. “It’s not just financial success, it is to be able to touch people and make a difference.”

In 2004, President Mwai Kibaki honoured her with the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) for her contribution to arts and culture in Kenya.

Her son was born with sickle cell anaemia, she outlived her parents and several of her siblings and succumbed to pancreatitis at 53.

“Not all my life was full of drudgery,” she told an audience in September. “This is the time to soar. I refuse to allow the painful things that have happened to my life to pull me down. We are going to make it.”

Two days after she passed on, Sauti Sol finally won Best Group at the MTV Africa Music Awards. It was a proud moment for the old boys of Upper Hill School and for their millions of fans across the continent. The truth is that Sauti Sol have achieved a level of musical success that is still rare in Kenya.

People assumed that Achieng’ Abura was a rich celebrity, and stayed away from her son Prince’s fundraiser, yet his 23-year-long continuous treatment had stretched all her resources. The last days of her life were spent trying to raise the Sh4 million she needed to airlift him to the United Kingdom to save his life.

Had she lived long enough, she might have seen the Kenyan music industry grow, won that Grammy she wanted and maybe even done a cross-genre collaboration with Sauti Sol. But it wasn’t to be because life doesn’t always pan out how we plan it.

I’m immeasurably proud of how far Sautisol have come. Bien, Chimano, Mudigi and Polycarp are now jet-setting superstars who perform in sold-out shows across East Africa and are embarking on an American tour. They deserved that Best Group win for the years of investment into their craft. They have paid their dues and have rightfully earned all their success. If only this market had expanded enough for more people to profit from their talent. If only more Kenyans supported their own. If only.

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WHAT IF SAFARICOM BOUGHT THE NATION MEDIA GROUP?

American telecoms giant AT&T is buying Time Warner, which owns outlets like CNN, HBO and Warner Bros for an eye-popping $85.4 billion. If you’re finding it hard to imagine that, a Kenyan example would be if Safaricom bought the Nation Media Group. One is a wireless phone company, the other is a content firm.

“The merger, which marries partners in distribution and content, will surely trigger multiple layers of complexity for customers, industry regulators, investors and consumer watchdogs as they sort out revenue possibilities and conflicts of interest,” reported USA Today.

It is probably the world’s biggest deal this year and creates a company that is even hard to define. What is certain is that companies — technology or media — are no longer what they once were. Convergence and changing audiences are forcing executives to imagine what the future will look like and get there before they become another Nokia or Kodak.

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PREPARE FOR PETER KENNETH 2022?

The rumour mill had been grinding for a while so it came as no surprise when Peter Kenneth announced that he would be running for governor, and supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election. He didn’t say it explicitly, only hinting that he lived in Nairobi so he might as well run here. The former Gatanga MP ran for President — and against Uhuru — in 2013 on a Kenya National Congress Party ticket. He’s now had an epiphany and won’t be running again for the highest office in the land. A lot of people already see what is likely to be the long game here: Peter Kenneth for President in 2022.

“Ultimately Peter Kenneth decided that his political ambition was greater than his principles, if any at all,” tweeted Catherine Amayi.

My lawyer, Donald Kipkorir, was more blunt: “Hope Peter Kenneth, who is my friend has no Presidential ambitions in 2022 because we will consider it treachery!”  The ‘we’ he refers to is the Kalenjin community because it is widely expected that President Kenyatta will support his deputy, William Ruto, to succeed him.

Parallels are already being drawn between this and Uhuru himself dropping his ambition and supporting Mwai Kibaki in 2007. We all remember how that ended.

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FEEDBACK: ON SONKO’S CHANCES OF BEING NAIROBI GOVERNOR

Larry, I agree with only 50 per cent of what you wrote.   

Sonko is quite popular among the youth, but not among the majority of  Nairobi voters, who comprise the middle class that rarely votes. He appeals mostly to those society deems low class, who wake up early to vote. The problem is that most people do not consider what a candidate has done. And yes, the common educated voter will never vote in someone like Sonko for the gubernatorial position; they only talk but don’t  vote. However, Sonko is unlikely to win if he vies as an independent candidate or on the ticket of another party other than Jubilee because he will be splitting the Jubilee votes for the same position while Cord will be rallying behind one man. But then again, anything can happen, so we will accept and move on.

Prisca

Larry, you unfairly campaigned for Sonko, and your viewpoint was a gross misrepresentation of facts. Sonko can only defeat Kidero if he’s nominated as the Jubilee candidate but if he runs as an independent candidate, he will come a distant third or fourth. The Nairobi gubernatorial seat belongs to either Jubilee or Cord. If Sonko stands, he will succeed in yanking the Kamba votes from Kidero and give the candidate of the largest voting block, the Kikuyu, an easy ride to City Hall.

Kidero, as an ODM candidate, will get only the Luo votes, plus a few Luyha and Kisii ones. When you enter the booth on voting day, your allegiance is to the party and not an individual, and that’s how unpopular leaders have won elections, to the bewilderment of popular candidates. 

Wuodomeo

I love it when Sonko shows up at a disaster site to help out; it is just what we need to see in a leader. Besides, isn’t that the reason why they are elected? Sonko relates well with the ordinary wananchi because he’s been there and he knows what it’s like to have nothing.

People love him because he understands their situation and also because he’s always there to help. Sonko can definitely fit in almost any post in the government and do just great.

However, when it comes to the capital city’s top job, I wouldn’t recommend him because the job entails more than what he can offer at the moment.

Tabitha