Outstanding Kenyan celebrities living with disability

The scene is a hot Nairobi Saturday afternoon in late 2017. The venue is Sarakasi Dome, in Ngara. The place is filling up with lovers of hip-hop, ready to enjoy deejays sets and live music in another edition of the Hip Hop Hook Up, a monthly hip hop concert that was the brainchild of emcees Nafsi Huru and Smallz Lethal. One of the performers that day is Lal Daggy, a deaf and mute rapper, Kenya's and Africa's first, before the likes of Congolese famous MC Baba even thought it was possible. Lal Daggy gets on stage, flanked by another rapper, who would put words to Daggy's sign language. Then the deejay hits play, and we get introduced to another sub-genre of rap never experienced before. "My songs are mainly inspirational songs, so I use sign language, voice overs and subtitles," he told the BBC in 2018, in a feature that introduced him to a wider online audience. Lal Daggy, born Douglas Munyendo, became deaf at the age of five after a long illness, and became interested in rap music in high school. Lal Daggy, trendy like his genre demanded and obviously confident, roped in Signs Media founder and Managing Director Luke Kizito for support, managed to work with Jaguar, rap with Nonini, and perform for then President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015. He travelled the world, going to South Africa to do a music video. "For a long time, people believed deaf people can't sing. I chose to challenge that belief. I told myself I would become a great musician, and that's why I came to Nairobi," he was quoted. But before Lad Daggy wowed us at Sarakasi Dome, another artiste who was abled differently but had taken the country and the reggae world by storm, his diminutive frame notwithstanding, was Mighty King Kong. With an electric stage presence that featured a distinct support stick, long dreadlocks that were sometimes stacked in a high hat, and unique vocal abilities, Mighty King Kong was bigger than his stage name. Born in 1973, Paul Otieno Imbaya suffered a polio attack as a child which left him disabled from the waist down, but abled with a talent that took him from the streets to shows in Europe, before he died at the age of 34 days before the country erupted into post-election violence, in a suspected poisoning incident. Mighty King Kong is famous for Ladies Choice, a radio banger distinct for its horns and a catchy hook, and Cinderella. First a dancer at Flamingo Casino in Kisumu, and at Nairobi's Florida 2000, he became an events MC at Mombasa's Club Istanbul, then a singing sensation with the Simba Ngoma band in Kampala, where he got his first stint in a studio, to record a demo album. The great Maurice Oyando of Next level Studios took a gamble on him, and he recorded his first album, Ladies Choice, saying then, "We started the album in August and by January the next year, we had finished it." Mighty King Kong broke barriers, a school drop-out who became a superstar, going mainstream and performing on stages that many dreamt off, at a time when Kenya's contemporary scene was finding its feet beyond the radio. He walked so that many, like Lal could fly. As the world becomes more inclusive with science unravelling man's conditions and diseases with more clarity, the table has become wider to accommodate those who would never have thought of exploring their artsy side. Crystal Asige also stands among giants. Besides being a visually impaired person, Crystal is also a nominated Senator, aptly representing persons with disabilities and special interest groups, and an award-winning singer, and songwriter. She was introduced to the larger audience on Extravaganza, a Sauti Sol and Sol Generation hit that went like, 'Ayee rhumba imetamba, Sauti Sol in a di area kumechacha, Karibuni kwenye Extravaganza, Na Crystal alipofika alifunika eeeh'. Crystal Asige. [Courtesy] Though his stay at Sol Generation was short-lived, the talented songbird has made a life-long impact in making Kenyan more inclusive, sponsoring a Persons with Disabilities Bill, (Senate Bill No. 7 of 2023), that has become law. The law cements the rights of people abled differently, going further than a previous law in making sure there is a human rights approach 'towards realization of the right of persons with disabilities', which are consistent with the constitution. Crystal, named a 2024 TIME 100 Next honoree, besides being a Top 40 Under 40 winner, lost her sight in her early 20s due to glaucoma. "I went to the UK in Bristol which was where I attended university to study film and theatre. I went for a general checkup and the doctor told me that there was something seriously wrong with my eyes," she said. Upbeat in spirit, consistent with her passions, and very articulate with what she represents, she is arguably the biggest voice celebrities abled differently have ever had. Crystal is not the first legally blind singer in Kenya. Before she was born, the legendary Mary Atieno was already gracing the national radio station. The Adamu na Eva singer is arguably Kenya's first disabled celebrity, recording albums as early as 1982, and a mainstay of KBC TV's gospel shows in the 90s. Born blind, her career spans over four decades, her talents spread across singing, teaching and ministry, always next to her husband, Alex Ominde. "Because of it (singing), I have been able to inspire many people and serve God," she has said. But the accolade of the most celebrated and awarded bling singer goes to Dr Reuben Kigame, 2022 presidential election independent candidate, award-winning and renowned gospel musician, scholar and author. Reuben, who lost his eyesight at three, has graced our TVs, radio cassettes, DVD players, and live gospel shows, singing his heart out while at the same time pursuing different facets of what his dreams take him, proving that he is more than talented. Reuben Kigame. [Courtesy] Besides being awarded a Head of State Commendation for his Contribution in Arts and Community Service in 2005, and Order of the Grand Warrior in 2010, he is the 2018 Groove Awards Songwriter of the Year, and aptly honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 Malaika Tribute Awards. Founded by gospel artiste Daddy Owen, Malaika Tribute Awards honours people with disabilities and organisations that support them. Speaking about his ambition to be a president with a difference, he elaborated on his dreams for Kenyans living with disabilities, saying, "I want to mainstream persons living with disability. It's assumed that if you have a disability, you can't lead, yet history is full of people with disabilities who led." Daddy Owen himself, one of Kenyan most prominent, celebrated and awarded gospel artistes lost sight on one eye due to injuries sustained in a mob justice incident after a failed robbery. Daddy Owen. [Courtesy] While some have built their careers from the ground up, like Mighty King Kong, some have been at the right place at the right time, like DJ Euphoric. Confined to a wheelchair because of a degenerative joint disease diagnosis after a year of misdiagnosis when he was 15, being immobile didn't stop him from pursuing his dreams of being a deejay, to spinning at the highest office on the land. Born Ignatius Barare Ogeto, he was known for some time as the 'President's deejay', after performing at State House events for former President Uhuru Kenyatta, which also saw him offered employment at the Presidential Music Commission. "You don't have to beg on the streets just because you have a disability, there is something that you can do to positively contribute to society," said the man who was inspired by DJ Adrian in his Capital FM days. Celebrated Malian Singer Salif Keita stands among African music giants for shunning social norms, where kids with albino were cast away, or aside, to become the 'Golden Voice of Africa'. The Kora Award winner has famously proclaimed, "I am proud to be an albino and I am proud to be who I am". Other global stars include Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay and artiste Yellowman, American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder who was born blind, Ray Charles who got blind at five, and Games of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage who lives with dwarfism.

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