Celebrated silver screen actor John Murimi aka Wasiwasi is in mourning after his father James Murimi
Ng’ang’a, a former Maumau fighter who died at the age of 92.
At the time of his death, Mzee Ng’ang’a’s story, alongside those of many of his generation, is the subject of a film script currently in development—an effort to preserve the voices of those who lived, fought, suffered, built and dreamed of a better Kenya.
Mzee James was himself a character—an extraordinary storyteller, comedian and master craftsman whose life carried memories stretching back to the struggle for Kenya’s independence.
According to Peter Thuo (Eboso), who previously interviewed Mzee James for a Mau Mau documentary, the late veteran recounted how he fought alongside Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi before he was captured in the heat of the struggle.
He was subsequently imprisoned at Manyani for three years.
But even when recounting the hardships of his generation, Mzee James had a comedian’s way of looking at life.
He jokingly called himself a “master mason artist”, recalling how his generation of African craftsmen helped build Nairobi—yet many of those who physically built the city ended up owning little or nothing of it.
Mzee Ng’ang’a would also joke about the irony of living in Kabete, so close to Nairobi that he could cycle or walk into the city, while some of his fellow Murang’a people crowded into rented rooms in Nairobi.
They came to build the city, he would imply, only to watch others eventually own it.
Behind the jokes was a profound story about freedom, labour, dignity and the unfinished promises of independence.
According to Wasiwasi, friends and relatives are meeting daily at his Kamuguga residence for funeral arrangements and prayers.
Wasiwasi is a popular Vihoja Mahakamani actor whose comedy has entertained generations, and as an actor who also featured in the KBC television series Malaika,Tabasamu(NTV) as uneducated watchman among others.
Yet, behind the familiar face of laughter is a deeply personal story of loss, sacrifice and a forgotten chapter of Kenya’s liberation history.
The popular Vioja Mahakamani actor whose comedy has entertained generations, and as an actor who also featured in the KBC television series Malaika,Tabasamu (NTV) as uneducated watchman among others.
But behind the familiar face of laughter is a deeply personal story of loss, sacrifice and a forgotten chapter of Kenya’s liberation history.
And now, through the death of the father of a man Kenyans know and love for making them laugh, another important story of Kenya's past has come to the fore.
“Behind Wasiwasi, we discover James Murimi Ng’ang’a—the father, freedom fighter, mason, storyteller and witness to history . To John, the entire family and all who mourn with them, our deepest condolences,” mourns his friend and colleague Eboso.