Litondo wins top prize at Riverwood awards

Sugar Okemo(L) receive her award of best actress in TV series from Ian Mbugua (R) during the riverwood academy awards 2016 held at National Museum hill on 12/3/2016. PHOTO BY EDWARD KIPLIMO.

It was a night he will never forget.

Oliver Litondo received the highest honour at the Riverwood Academy Awards - The Living Legend Award - a befitting award for such a great talent.

The Hollywood film star was the pick of the night at the third edition of the awards, which unveiled the best on the Kenyan silver screen at the Louis Leakey auditorium on Saturday night. Litondo starred as Maruge in The First Grader among other critically acclaimed flicks.

He beat Morgan Freeman for the lead in The First Grader, playing the world's oldest primary school pupil, Kimani Nganga Maruge.

"Litondo has shown the way and his endeavours have earned Kenyan film respect the world over," read the citation by Kenya Film Classification Board CEO Ezekiel Mutua, amid thunderous applause from the packed hall estimated to hold 700 guests. Another 200 were watching on big screens outside the venue.

And in his acceptance speech Litondo, who is now based on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, hailed the energy exhibited in local creativity, saying artistes will never allow politicians and busybodies to ruin our motherland Kenya.

"The other day they ate Sh400 million meant for young people. Some bosses of the Youth Fund went on to buy Sh12 million vehicles. That money could make many movies and keep the youth here working," he said amid deafening applause.

Litondo, who together with his wife Susan runs Lakewood Films in California, endorsed Dr Mutua's latest effort to have foreign TV stations air a percentage of local content.

"If they do not carry local content, ban them," he said to yet another standing ovation.