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Kenya: Country Mourns Benga Maestro
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The Nation (Nairobi)
14 June 2008
Posted to the web 16 June 2008
Moses Dola
Nairobi
The music industry is mourning the death of yet another benga star.
On Wednesday at 9am, Anthony Omondi Mumbo, better known as "Omondi Tonny", the popular young artiste known in the music industry for stage rocking musical compositions, lost the battle for his life.
He succumbed to injuries sustained in a car accident in the coastal town of Mombasa shortly before he was to stage a show at the Palm Annex near Bamburi.
He had been in a coma for almost a week at Coast General hospital following the accident. His driver died on the spot after a head-on collision with a matatu that had been overtaking another vehicle along the Mombasa-Malindi road.
According to his elder brother Musa Juma who is also a benga artiste, Tonny was on a coastal tour to finalise a video shoot for his latest album. The album contains the popular hits Dunia ni ya Mungu and Raila Amolo Odinga, dedicated to the Prime Minister.
Swelling
However, it was not to be for the "Akinyi Judy" star as he finally succumbed to a swelling in his brain.
Three other band members who were also in the ill-fated saloon car are still in various coastal hospitals in critical but stable condition.
"He did not have serious injuries save for a cut on the forehead. We are very shocked by death as he was in stable condition," said Musa Juma.
Juma described his brother as a "soft spoken and humble person and very close to me".
Omondi Tonny was born in Siaya District in 1970. He went to different primary schools in Kisumu, Siaya and Homa Bay before joining Mwer High School.
Tonny's father was a policeman who worked in Homa Bay and Kisumu districts. After he retired, the family relocated to Siaya.
Tonny lived a life of struggle and determination that at one time saw him trek long distances to Mwer High School in Siaya before rising to the top league of Kenyan music.
Soon after completing his secondary education in 1994, Tony moved in with his brother Musa who by then had formed the Limpopo International Band. The group was then the resident band at The Junction in the lakeside city of Kisumu.
"He showed some interest in music but then he was not yet deeply entrenched in singing. Tonny started out with drums, then vocals and finally learnt how to play the guitar," Musa said during a telephone interview on Friday.
Nurtured him
It was in Kisumu that Musa Juma's tutorship nurtured him to become one of the most promising benga artistes in recent times, following in the footsteps of the late Daniel Owino Misiani, Ochieng' Kabaselleh and Okatch Biggy among many others.
As Omondi Tonny continued to mature in music, Limpopo International which they jointly led with Musa Juma gained more admiration from fans in the benga-crazy town leading to massive shows. They were also regularly invited to other towns in the country.
The brothers worked together at belting out hit after hit until a few years back when they parted to advance their solo careers.
During his early days with his brother Musa Juma, he took part in songs like Nyar Orema and Wuod Kajimbo. According to Musa, Wuod Kajimbo was dedicated to a friend from Nyakach.
Early this year, Omondi released his latest album Jacky wa Tony and according to promoters and licensed album vendors, it is doing very well.
Vocal prowess
Many Kenyans will remember Omondi Tonny as an established singer with exceptional vocal prowess and benga beats with Lingala leanings.
His prowess at infusing his songs with Lingala beats coupled with his soft-pitched voice gave him an edge over others in his field.
Some of his most popular compositions are Akinyi Judy, Suzzy Suzanna, Nyoremo, and Siku za Furaha.
He leaves behind a wife, Benta Achieng', and a 12-year-old son Jeff Omondi
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His body is lying at the Pandya Hospital, Mombasa, and funeral arrangements are already underway.
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