Walk to tomb that ended family misery

By FAITH RONOH

“I lost my talent and was unable to sing again because I was fighting with the bondage of death in our family.” These are sentiments of Flora Ndirai when The Standard on Saturday met her in a restaurant in Nairobi. 

Flora is a local gospel artiste who has a lot to tell about her experience with the devil and how she ventured into the gospel music. She says her passion for singing dates back to childhood when she participated in a local Catholic church choir.

Later, while in secondary school, Flora joined dance groups and started participating in inter-school choir competitions. It is from here, she says, that she discovered her talent in music and unwavering love for gospel singing. She then wrote her first song, Forever and Ever.

“I started singing when I was a small girl in our local Catholic Church. I also joined a dance group while in high school and by the time I was in Form Three, I had already written my first single, Forever and Ever, which I used to sing in school since I was the worship leader,” she adds. However, the unexpected happened when she was hoping to hit tops in her music career.

Flora says she lost her parents and most of her relatives in what appeared as a battle with the devil. “It was at a time when death was striking every strong member of my family. It looked as if the situation was planned that every year we had to lose at least two family members and that really discouraged me. I was in bondage,” she narrates. With this, Flora’s passion for music slowly faded away.

 “I realised that the devil was taking control of my life but vowed to fight to the end and win,” she says. One night, Flora had a weird dream: “It was one night when I found myself walking with a man into a tomb. He called out the name ‘Lazarus’ and immediately I saw dead people coming out of the tomb. They looked dead tired.”

“I became scared because I had never witnessed such kind of power. I realised that Christ had the power to rescue me and my family,” she asserts. After the dream, she wrote eight songs and released her first album Gari Moshi. The songs: Gari Moshi, Nitaishi, Nakuhitaji, Forever and Ever, Pamoja Nami, U Mwaminifu, Nirejeshe and Nimeonja Pendo, are all pegged on her life experiences. Gari Moshi challenges us to the salvation call of Jesus Christ while Nakuhitaji is a worship song that seeks to encourage the hopeless that there is hope in Jesus Christ.  Flora says she has been transforming people’s lives by performing in crusades, conferences, churches and other live events.

 Producer John Nyika recorded her album at Sound Art Studio while video was done by Paul Mukoma of PrinceCam media.  She appreciates her family as well as the Maximum Miracle Centre for the support it offered her even as she tried to restore her music career. 

“My sisters and brothers stood by me whenever I needed help. I also appreciate my spiritual parents Bishop Pius Muiru and Reverend Lucy Muiru and the entire Maximum Miracle Centre family for their continued support,” she asserts.

 Flora hopes to continue ministering the gospel through music over the coming years to change lives of people. “The journey has not been easy but I want to grow in this industry. My dream is to continue changing lives through music because money comes and goes,” she adds.

Challenges faced

 Like other legendary music folks, Flora admits there have been a number challenges with piracy taking the lead.

 “It is unfortunate that we still have people pirating. We make efforts in producing music and I don’t see the reason why one cannot purchase original works,” she regrets. She is optimistic that with time people will learn to appreciate the music industry in Kenya.

 “I will continue producing music despite this serious challenge. My main aim is to reach out to that individual who needs intervention and encouragement,” she adds.