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Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi.
Comedian Eric Omondi is a whirlwind of satire and stunts, a performer who turns outrageous humour into national talking points. From his days on Churchill Show to reinventing himself as a political activist-entertainer, Eric has built a career on being unpredictable. At 43, he is blending comedy and bold theatrics to keep the country watching, and earning millions from brand influencing.
What many don’t know is the kind of aura my late younger brother, Fred Omondi, carried. He was unbelievably likeable, the kind of person every comedian or artist has a story about. Fred did so much for the entertainment industry, far more than he ever got credit for.
He was funnier than most of us, and he wrote many of my scripts. Even though he was younger, he’s the one who introduced me to stand-up comedy. I didn’t even know it existed until he put me onto it. Churchill actually rated him higher than he did with me.
A caricature of Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi.
Churchill Show was quite an experience. The level of competitiveness got so intense that comedians would literally steal jokes from one another. It became so normal to the extent that we could no longer do rehearsals together for fear that your colleague might steal your joke, especially if they were going on stage before you.
Extremely famous
It took me seven years to finish my undergraduate degree. I joined Daystar University in 2003, but had to drop out because of a lack of fees. I returned in 2005, and that’s because I had been elected Christian Union Vice Chairperson. Students nominated and elected me while I was away, and the university offered to sponsor my studies.
Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi.
For the entire first season of the Churchill Show I was never paid, but I became extremely famous. I was so broke. Whenever I would board matatus, passengers thought I was shooting a skit because with the kind of fame I had, everyone expected me to own a car.
After Season One, my segment had become so popular that the show couldn’t run without it, and that’s when NTV was finally offered me a contract. Shortly after that came my very first gig with Ribena. I was paid Sh45,000. I couldn’t believe it. It was a lot of money. I was still a student.
