The legendary Les Wanyika band and (inset) Josephine Achoke.
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We found Bi Josefina of Les Wanyika’s hit song, ‘Safari ya Samburu’
What you need to know:
- The song Safari ya Samburu became a household hit in Kenya and the East African region and was played regularly on KBC.
- Josephine is now 57 years and a mother of five. She wants the group return to Maralal town, as they had promised in their song.
Kwanza asante Dr Maina,
Tena asante ndugu Omollo
Les Wanyika twatoa shukrani kwenu
Kutuonyesha imani na mapenzi,
Itakuwa furaha kuonana tena,
Hata kama kwa mwaka mara moja,
Asante sana Bi Josefina,
Wenyeji wote Maralali
Ilikuwa ni mwanzo wala sio mwisho,
Kwaherini mubaki salama eeh
Itakuwa furaha kuonana tena, hata kama kwa mwaka mara moja...
In the 1990s, the popular band Les Wanyika, led by celebrated John Ngereza, travelled to Maralal town in Samburu district.
Les Wanyika Band members pose for a photo.
Maralal was little known. And so was Josephine Achoke.
Out of the trip, the music band immortalised the town and a beautiful young woman called Josephine.
In one of the refrains in the song, the band thanks Josephine, whom it endearingly names Bi Josefina, for her kindness and generosity during the tour.
“Asante sana Bi Josefina,” said the group in the song “Safari ya Samburu”.
Decades later, the nostalgic song, which became a regional hit, is still played at nightclubs and homes, reminding many older revellers of the good times.
And to Josephine, it remains one of the most memorable times of her youth.
Lifestyle traced Josephine to her home in Maralal. Despite signs of ageing, she is still easy on the eye. She still wears dangling earrings, bangles on her wrist, reddish lipstick and make-up, just as she did in the 90s.
“I remember meeting the legendary singers while they were performing in Maralal,” she says.
She reveals to Lifestyle that the singers had toured Samburu to entertain their fans during the opening of Club Jamaica.
Josephine recalls the evening of the performance. Revellers scrambled for tickets at the entrance.
In an unexpected turn of events, one of Les Wanyika singers, John Ngereza to be specific, requested organisers to allow Josephine – together with her friend – to get into the club free of charge.
Josephine Achoke, 57, at her home in Shabaa area in Maralal town, Samburu County. Bi Josefina (as referred to in the song) is immortalised in ‘Safari ya Samburu’
“A ticket was Sh100. That’s an equivalent of Sh10,000 today. It was very hard to afford Sh100. I cannot tell how I captured Ngereza’s attention. I was with my friend. We entered the club and were then ushered to sit in the VIP section,” she says.
“I may have captivated the group’s singer.”
After the performances, Josephine was requested to join the Les Wanyika members in after-party celebrations.
“From that moment on, they were pleased with us and we became friends,” she says.
She was a 27-year-old who loved dancing.
Josephine reminisces about the days she found herself at the centre of lively parties and social gatherings in Maralal town.
“The Les Wanyika live performance brought Maralal to life,” she says.
Musician John Ngereza from Les Wanyika Band
After Ngereza and fellow members left Maralal, following a memorable entertainment tour, they composed the “Safari ya Samburu” the same year – 1991.
“I was surprised to learn that I had been featured in the song. It was my proudest moment ever because I never expected it. But I kept asking myself: ‘What made them sing about me?’,” she says.
“Perhaps it is because we became friends thereafter.”
“Safari ya Samburu” became a hit in Kenya and East Africa. It was regularly played on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) radio stations. So did Josephine become popular too.
“I was still single. The song gave me prominence. I became a celebrity in an instant,” she says.
Dr Maina and Ndugu Omollo
Apart from Josephine, two other people were mentioned in “Safari ya Samburu” – Dr Maina and Ndugu Omollo.
Josephine says Dr Maina was the owner of Club Jamaica. He was an animal health service provider working in Samburu. Dr Maina is a music lover.
He invited Les Wanyika to Maralal town to perform and meet the band’s fans.
“He did not treat people but was widely referred to as ‘Dr Maina’ in Maralal town,” she says.
Josephine describes Dr Maina as a music enthusiast.
“Dr Maina really loved music,” the woman says.
She adds that Ndugu Omollo was a magistrate at the Maralal Law Courts. The magistrate, Josephine says, loved mingling with Maralal residents in the evening after work.
“He worked in Maralal for some time before being transferred to Lodwar in Turkana District,” she says.
The Les Wanyika song continued to rule the radio airwaves and the group rose to prominence.
Later, Josephine got married and had five children.
Aged 57, Josephine has lived in Maralal all her life. Her husband tragically died two years ago.
She says though the “Safari ya Samburu” made her famous, that did not change her life much.
Despite the song being used in many marketing functions, she is yet to benefit from her “generosity” that made Les Wanyika record the historical time the band had in Maralal.
“I am definitely a local celebrity,” she says laughing.
“Many elderly people know me through the song, but I must say that it never changed my life,” Josephine says as she belts out the part of the song, specifically where it praises her kindness and generosity.
After singing the lyrics, Josephine becomes emotional.
She says the music group never returned to Maralal, despite the assurances ‘Itakuwa furaha kuonana tena, hata kama kwa mwaka mara moja’. (I will be happy to see you again, even if it is only once a year).
“Les Wanyika never returned until its lead singer died in 2000. They should keep the promise and return,” she says.
Josephine is now a prominent cook in Maralal.
She got a chance to serve as the chief chef of former and current Samburu governors Moses Lenolkulal and Lati Lelelit, respectively. Josephine says she was bright in school.
She sat the Certificate of Primary Education and joined Kirisia Mixed Secondary School (now Kirisia Boys Secondary School) where she sat her F4 exam.
“I was first hired as a chef in the office of Governor Lenolkulal. The current regime also hired me and I am still working in the same capacity,” she says.
Kiswahili Rhumba
Les Wanyika has a special place in the hearts of many Kenyans who spent their formative years glued to their radios.
It was among the most successful bands in East and Central Africa during the golden era of Kiswahili rhumba in the 1970s and 1980s.
“Safari ya Samburu” speaks of love and the great moments Les Wanyika band members experienced in Maralal.
The group members performed with all their passion and skill, pouring their emotions into the performance of “Safari ya Samburu”.
But the death of Ngereza put brakes on its success, consigning Les Wanyika to oblivion.
The band was revived two decades later, returning to perform at major festivals in Kenya.
Ngereza was the leader of the Nairobi-based splinter Les Wanyika Band. It had separated from Simba Wa Nyika.
Les Wanyika Band made many popular recordings, and is best remembered for their classics like “Sina Makosa”, “Barua Yako”, “Paulina”, “Afro” and “Kwanza Jiulize”.
Others hits are “Tafuta Wako” and “Kajituliza Kasuku”.
