"My name is Chira, Brian Chira."
It was a signature phrase that endeared the late popular TikToker Brian Chira Wambui to his fans, probably inspired by "Bond, James Bond". And while he might have been the hero of his story, in his dealings with others, Chira was more often than not the villain.
Ironically, and a little scarily, Chira was launched into the public limelight by a road accident, as a witness, and sadly left this world on March 16 by way of another road accident. The unfortunate bookends of a tragically short life.
Chira came to the limelight in December 2022 when he was interviewed by NTV as a road accident witness.
This video attracted a lot of attention online due to the state in which the witness was. Amidst his slurred speech, he managed to utter what he saw.
"Naitwa Brian Chira and I saw the whole accident. Nduru was coming from the other side and there was a matatu. Alafu, watu walianza kushout so tukatoka kuangalia nini imefanyika. There were two ladies on the matatu na vichwa zao hazikuwa. It's tragic."
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On Saturday, March 16, reports say that Chira was going home after he was kicked out of a joint for causing a disturbance.
As the fracas went on, one Zaleck Momanyi offered to help him get home since he was very drunk. The two got on a motorbike.
According to Momanyi, when they got to Chira's destination, he sprinted towards the main road to avoid paying the boda boda rider and was hit by a speeding truck.
News of his death flooded the internet. Most netizens could not believe it, hoping it was one of his clout-chasing moments.
He was known for living his life on the edge, being at loggerheads with most celebrities, and falling out with many.
Azziad Nasenya, the radio presenter, sued Chira for defamation after he went live with his account, directing insults at the actress. This saw the TikToker being dragged to police custody in cuffs.
He later did an interview with Kiss FM where he sounded apologetic, saying that the period when he was locked up taught him a lot.
"I do regret everything. I would have done better. If the other party is willing to sit down and have a chat, I am ready," he said.
The consequences of the defamation were more than the lawsuit. Chira's education at Kabarak University was affected as he got a two-week suspension.
As time went by, this behaviour became a trend. An outsider would be nice to Chira, and the next thing netizens expected was online verbal abuse.
Oga Obinna, a vlogger, invited Chira to his show; they did an interview and parted ways. Later on, Chira did a video accusing Obinna of paying him peanuts.
Later, Chira requested Obinna for an interview, which was supposed to mend the bridges he burnt.
"I just want to make amends, I apologize deeply. I have accepted my mistakes, and I want to live well with my friends because I feel lonely all the time," he said.
One of the bridges was the mother-son relationship they had with Nyako, a TikToker. According to Chira, Nyako did not show the motherly side, so he snapped and addressed her rudely.
"Nyako kuja hapa...ooh, I paid rent for you. You paid rent for who? How much money did you use? Pesa ni ya kuchangwa ilichangwa ndio ikanunua kila kitu kwa hii nyumba," he said.
The altercation was followed by Nyako threatening to take legal action against Chira.
Chira had such moments not once nor twice. He would go live while intoxicated and hence would verbally diarrhoea. Most of the drama around him involved alcohol.
The public knew the name Brian Chira due to intoxication and watched the same fire consume him, turning him into ashes.
He severally said he felt lonely, adding most of the time he was left alone with nothing but his phone and a bottle of liquor.
Despite all the drama, Chira had a fan base. An audience that is utterly shocked by the saddened demise of such a promising entertainer.
Most wish he had lived long enough to see what would have become of him if he worked on himself. However, if wishes were horses…
Rest in Eternal Peace Brian Chira.