By John Oywa

The man behind the success of the award winning film- The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin, has resurfaced, years after starring in one of the best ever film to be made in Africa.

Mr Joseph Olita, whose towering and bulky physique made him a look-a-like of the former Ugandan dictator is headed back to the big screen, this time with a film called Simbi Nyaima, to be shot in Western Kenya beginning this week.

Olita and another international actor and veteran media personality — Oliver Litondo, will play lead roles in the film, whose script has been written by playwright and Maseno University lecturer Otumba Ouko and directed by thespian Aketch Obat Masira.

Litindo is the main character in The First Grade, a film on the life and times of the world’s oldest student Kimani Maruge who died in 2009. The film premieres in Hollywood, Los Angeles, next month.

Written 15 scripts

The two veterans will be in Kisumu on Wednesday for a launch of the filming that will take them to various parts of Western Kenya for the next three months.

The film Simbi Nyaima, is a production on the mythical Lake Simbi in Karachuonyo, said to have been formed after flood waters swallowed an entire village because of greed and arrogance.

On Monday, Olita, now in his early sixties told The Standard he was delighted to be back in active acting after a lull.

"Some people have been wondering whether I am dead or alive. They have been asking where the ‘Amin of Kenya’ disappeared to. Now, I am back with a bang. I am still as fit as a fiddle and Kenyans should prepare for bigger things to come," he said.

Olita said he has been struggling to use his vast experience in promoting the film industry in Kenya but lacks support.

With his characteristic gestures, booming voice and bulging eyes, Olita said the Amin film made him an international hero.

"It gave me a lot of exposure in the film industry, even though I didn’t earn much from it. It really made me look like the real character, Idi Amin," he said.

The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin relates Idi Amin’s eight-year, despotic rule, how he came to power and horrors of his reign.

Olita disclosed that he had written 15 scripts all waiting to be turned into films and was searching for sponsors.