Gor Mahia hit composer is dead

Benga maestro Juma Toto is dead [Courtesy]

Juma Toto, the man who sung golden hit FC Gor Mahia is dead.

The 70-year-old benga maestro died yesterday plunging Gor Mahia fans, family and fans into mourning. His song, FC Gor Mahia showering praise on the 18-time Kenyan champions was released in 1970 two years after the club’s formation.

It went on to be the football club’s anthem as K’Ogalo dominated the local scene leading to their final appearance in the Africa Champions Cup in 1979 against Cameroon’s Canon Yaounde.

Juma is said to have fallen on his way home on Friday at Jerusalem Estate in Nairobi and underwent a head surgery at Kenyatta Hospital. However, the benga star failed to make it out of the ICU after a delicate operation to put together his skull that had split.

“We are sad to announce that Juma Toto died last night at Kenyatta Hospital while undergoing treatment,” his niece Dorcas Odumbe said yesterday.

Before this, Juma had worked with another Rumba legend Gabriel Omollo of the Blue Shades Band and the group would go-ahead to release the famed Lunch Time hit that in 1976 got a Golden Disk Award for the sale of 150,000 records. He hailed from Gem, Siaya.