The rise and rise of Timothy 'Njugush' Kimani to comedy genius.
In 2005, comic Timothy ‘Njugush’ Kimani attempted to take his own life. He had just travelled to be with his family when the thought of hanging himself crossed his mind.
That afternoon after enjoying lunch with his brother and mother, both his kin briefly stepped out of their wooden house that was dirtied in red, Njugush hurriedly fastened the rope. He was ready to dangle… More on that later.
Today, Saturday, July 27, Njugush is expected to gross more than Sh2.5 million after he stages the fifth instalment of his stand-up special comedy show TTNT 5 (Through Thick and Thin).
By Friday evening all tickets for the show to be hosted at Sarit Expo Centre, Nairobi, were sold out.
“Sold out. Note, no tickets at the gate,” Njugush notified his 2.7 million Instagram followers with a post as well as his Facebook 1.7 million fanatics.
The comic is hosting the event at Arabuko Hall, the largest of the three halls available at the Sarit Expo Centre which can seat up to 6,000 people in a theatre set-up which is what the comic went for.
Comedian Timothy ‘Njugush’ Kimani.
The cheapest ticket sold at Sh1,000, with the next tier ticket retailing at Sh1,500, and the VIP tickets sold at Sh3,500.
Assuming each attendee bought the cheapest ticket for the sold-out event, it would translate to a minimum of Sh6 million.
With tickets out of stock, those who still want to catch the live streaming of the TTNT 5 show will be provided with a streaming link that costs Sh300.
There is free transport from Nairobi CBD town to the venue, courtesy of Njugush's sponsorship deal with multinational oil and gas company Shell.
This fresh success comes against the backdrop of the launch of his Memoir, Whispers from My Childhood: Through Thick and Thin launched two weeks ago.
Since his burst into the limelight about a decade ago, thanks to the witty TV show ‘The Real House-helps of Kawangware’, Njugush has consistently remained as one of the top bankable creatives in the country cashing in millions from several brand deals that would possibly cross your mind.
The comic doesn’t struggle to attract brand partnerships, it’s almost always certain that there will always be a brand or two wanting to work with him at any given time. He credits this to his online content output.
“Online is a beautiful platform that can accommodate everyone. We consume a lot of content online. When it comes to making money, there are two tips; be consistent and unique in your craft, that’s what I have been all these years” Njugush told me in a past interview.
Comedian Timothy ‘Njugush’ Kimani.
Proceeds from his craft have seen the 33-year-old build a multimillion two-story family mansion in Ruiru, drive luxurious Prado TX, venture into the matatu transport business, set up a creative company, tour the world and who knows what else.
For Njugush he is living the dream, a life he never had growing up.
Attempted suicide
Looking back, all these successes for the father of two wouldn’t have been possible if the ordeal of 2005 had taken place.
In the Memoir, Njugush confesses that as a child he struggled to manage his emotions to the point that it once pushed him to attempt suicide.
“The truth is managing my emotions as a child was always a struggle. One that I always lost. I have always been a little too empathetic.” He writes.
His mother Jane Njambi notes that his firstborn love for attention since he was a child was second to none. When that was lacking, Njugush would suffer an emotional meltdown.
“He always wanted to be noticed whenever he was. When he did not get the attention he felt it was not his place. I knew he wanted to be famous,” Mrs Njambi notes.
Born to a Presbyterian Reverend father and a former Presbyterian Evangelist mother, the Njugush family was constantly on the move as his father was severally transferred from one town parish to another in the country to serve.
Despite enjoying the perks that came with being a Reverend, Njugush says his family led a modest lifestyle. They never owned a TV, a device he so much loved until later in life.
Their village home in Nguriunditu, Kiambu was a wooden house where their three goats shared space with the kitchen.
In December 2003, his father moved the family from the village to their new home in Joska in Kangundo relocating with their village house as his father couldn’t afford new materials to build a new house.
“Father decided that we move with our village house as it was. Every available young man in the village came to help carefully put apart the wooden house while ensuring nothing was broken...” Njugush Memoirs.
At the time of relocation, their new home area was sparsely populated with no schools nearby.
It was agreed that Njugush would remain in the village with his aunt until he sat his final primary exams. The arrangement was that he would visit his family in Joska during holidays.
Comedian Timothy ‘Njugush’ Kimani.
“Staying behind as the family moved had good lessons despite the emotional destabilisation. Looking back though, being left behind as the family moved pushed me to emotional limits. It was confusing and difficult, especially on the many visits my family would make to see me. Seeing them live after the visits was an extreme sport.” The comic narrates.
On that almost fateful day, Njugush had visited his family for the April holidays.
“I must admit I was struggling to fit in both places. Back in the village, I felt lonely and out of place, and then at our new home it was increasingly difficult to catch up with a new neighborhood that was even more different each time I traveled for the holidays,” Njugush avers in his book.
They had just had lunch when his mother stepped out of the house to winnow what would be their next meal a pot of maize and beans. She left Kimani with strict instructions to do the dishes.
“To be honest I hated doing the dishes. Probably because being the only child mostly available at my aunt’s place, I had had enough of it. This somehow triggered anger and sullenness in me. Without thinking, I went into the kitchen…grabbed a rope (used to peg their goats). Carefully I started tying it to poles holding the flat sooty roof. Suddenly as I was preparing to put the loop around my neck. Kadugu (his younger brother) burst into the small rooms,” Njugush gives details.
Kadugu saved the day as he would then call their mother.
“Admittedly to this day, I don’t know what I wanted to achieve with this. Maybe I was a child confused by the intrigues of so much happening a little too fast. Or perhaps that’s how melancholy presents itself. I don’t know,” he poses.
Njugush acknowledges that acting cured his emotional meltdowns. This his mother understood very well as she wholeheartedly encouraged him to pursue art. She went further by attending a number of his drama performances and even when his son joined a group of actors ensemble called ‘Vision Theatre Annex’ after his high school studies.
“I loved being on stage, even for smaller, negligible roles I appreciated. Not that I thought of pursuing the path of the entertainment industry. Growing up there was not much to look up to in the local entertainment industry. Art was not as marketable as it would turn out to be. To me, art was just a form of expression. Just one of the few places I felt alive and where nothing else mattered,” he documents.
Comedian Njugush during an interview.
Sh2,000 that turned Njugush's fortune
In the closing chapter of the Memoir, titled ‘Becoming’ Njugush credits his success to film director and actor Phillip Karanja and his business partner scriptwriter and actor Abel Mutua.
The two thespians while on a talent scouting mission, spotted Njugush's talent at one of the rehearsals as he prepared to represent his college Kenya Institute of Mass Communication at the national drama festivals.
“Both Abel and Phillip promised me a one thousand shillings note each if I won the best supporting character award at the nationals. You know I had the least significant role in the play, a character called Habakkuk, without any noteworthy lines in the script,”
However, Abel thought the character had the potential to turn the play around, and rightfully so he was as Njugush went on to cliché the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ award.
Consequently, Abel and Phil who had just left ‘Tahidi High’ TV series to start their own film production company Phil-It cast Njugush on his first-ever TV show that brought him into the limelight, The Real House-helps of Kawangware’ and ever since Kimani has never looked back.
