Ruto's campaign anthem star and Zabron Singers Group member Marco Joseph dies
President William Ruto's favourite gospel band loses it's singer, Marco Joseph.
Singer Marco Joseph of the Zabron Singers Group, known for their popular Swahili songs, one of which became a defining anthem in President William Ruto's 2022 campaign, has died.
He died on August 21, 2024, due to a heart disease while undergoing treatment at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) at Muhimbili National Hospital.
In a telephone interview with Nation.Africa, Marco's sister, Victoria Zabron, said her brother fell ill a week ago, days before a performance in Kisumu.
"He was forced to stay behind to seek treatment. The doctors said he had a heart problem that required emergency surgery. He was undergoing heart treatment at Muhimbili Hospital last night but he did not make it. The funeral will be held at his aunt's house in Mikocheni. The body is still in the mortuary at the moment," Victoria said.
According to the president of the Zabron Singers Choir, Japhet Zabron, his brother suffered a heart attack while on a mission trip to Kenya a few days ago.
Efforts were made to treat him at Bugando Referral Hospital, but he was referred to JKCI for further treatment before he passed away while under medical care.
Some of the songs he was known for with the group include "Mkono wake Bwana", "Sweetie Sweetie", "Sisi Ndio Wale", "Uko Single", "Nakutuma Wimbo" and many others.
Japhet also paid tribute to the singer saying, "Sikutaka kupost chochote kuhusu hili maana nilikuachia wewe Mungu lakini Mungu sasa umenifanyia nini hiki. Nooooo haiwezi kuwa hivi hapana Ooh God no. (I didn't want to write about this because I had left it to you God, but God, what have you done to me now? Nooooo it can't be like this, no, oh God no)".
Marco Joseph, a member of the Zabron Singers Group, has died from heart disease.
The Zabron singers came into the limelight with their hit song 'Mkono Wa Bwana'. Since then, they have continued to delight fans with many other songs.
Other members of the group include Victoria Zabron, Jamila Dotto, Samuel
Joseph, Semroza Godfrey, Grace Madata and Joyce Zabron.
In a recent interview, Japhet, the group's tutor, recalled how the group came about:
"When we were in high school, we went to a studio and recorded a song.
We didn't have any money and had to borrow from people to pay for the studio time. The recording was so bad that we were ashamed to even release the song. We almost gave up".
The song 'Mkono wa Bwana' became a defining anthem during President William Ruto's election campaign and led to Zabron Singers being honoured with a performance at his historic inauguration ceremony.
Zabron Singers also performed at the Churchill Show New Year celebrations in Garden City.
