While cheerleading is often seen as a fun activity for entertainment, one man has roped in his two sons and transformed it into a family affair, earning a living from it.
Born in Shinyalu in Kakamega County in 1970 before moving to Nairobi in 1989 to stay with his maternal uncle in Kawangware, Ainea Mukaisi Khayiya who leads an eight-member ‘Ingwe Isukuti group’ is a common sight during Football Kenya Federation Premier League matches involving 12-time Kenyan champions AFC Leopards.
On the streets, at the turnstiles, and in the stands, the 54-year-old stands out conspicuously with a broad smile on his face, and wide-brimmed straw hat on his head. His group got its name from isukuti, a wooden drum, traditionally made from a hollowed log, which is usually hung over the shoulder and played by striking with the fingers and palms. Isukuti is used during isukuti dance, a rhythmic, energetic traditional celebratory dance accompanied by drumming and singing, performed typically at festivals, weddings, and celebrations by the Luhya community.
Mukaisi’s group entertains AFC Leopards fans and players during matches. To him, the group does more than just cheerleading and performing stunts. As a performing artist, his work is to build team spirit among players, and lift their morale whenever the team is trailing the opponent. But a change in the isukuti beat can also pass a subtle message to the players, such as “you had better score a goal now or hell will break loose here” in the dying minutes of a match when the team is trailing.
Ainea Mukaisi in full cry in Shauri Moyo on March 12,2024 during one of the activities to mark AFC Leopard's 60 years celebrations of its existence.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
His two sons, James Liyayi, 25, and Rain Shivachi, 21, are part of the group. In his own words, “they have answered to the call.”
“Our job is to help motivate players through cheerleading and singing to encourage them to perform at their best. My band also helps psyche up fans before games, and we also lead fans in celebrating whenever we win matches. The club does not pay me, my sons and other members of the band. We rely on contributions from fans and friends to meet the group’s transport and accommodation needs during away matches,” Mukaisi says.
Although his father Andrew Khayiya was a gifted isukuti dancer, Mukaisi himself only became a full-time isukuti dancer after his maternal uncle, Adriano Amwayi Mutsalali, invited him in Nairobi to join his band in1989 at the age of 19. They literally followed AFC Leopards to every match, psyching up the fans and motivating the players. In return, their fame spread far and wide. Years after his uncle had retired from the group, Mukaisi fell out with his cousin in the band in 2009, and quit to form ‘Ingwe Isukuti group .’ He has been striking the isukuti with his fingers and palms for 36 years now, and is not about to give up the trade.
“Cheerleading using the isukuti remains an important part of football. It creates team spirit among fans, and keeps the players motivated, and makes them feel one with the fans,” he says.
Ainea Mukaisi speaks during NTV live sports show on March 18, 2024.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“I succeeded my uncle Adriano Amwayi Mutsalali in the band. He was a champion dancer, and he passed on the knowledge to me. Isukuti dancing is not for everybody. One needs to know how to take care of the instruments to achieve the desired performance from it,” he says proudly.
Born on January 27, 1970, Mukaisi considers himself an ambassador of AFC Leopards.
“My uncle was always there to share his great wisdom on the instrument with me. In a sense, I feel that Amwayi’s spirit is always around me today, guiding me and pointing me in the right direction. The young generation should see isukuti dancing as a gift from the past generation that gives the Luhya community a unique identity to be cherished for a long time to come. That is why I have roped my sons into the trade,” Mukaisi says.
He says some of their most electrifying performances have been during matches involving AFC Leopards and their sworn rivals Gor Mahia.
Amwayi, who passed on in 2015, was a fiercely-loyal fan of AFC Leopards. His band composed the hit song “Ingwe” in the 1980s. He sang the song in praise of AFC Leopards legends such as Josephat Murila, Joe Masiga, Wilberforce Mulamba, Francis Kadenge, Mike Amwayi, Tony Lidonde, Peter Lichungu, Aggrey Lukoye, Haggai Mirikau, Peter Ouma, Patrick Shilasi, Mickey Weche, among others who brought glory to the club in that decade, and beyond.
Isukuti is now certified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is recognised internationally as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’, something which warms Mukaisi’s heart.
“I hope we isukuti achieves even greater recognition,” he says.
Isukuti dance is performed by shaking the shoulders while twisting the legs as the throbbing drum beats fill air.
Mukaisi is married to Winrose Kadogo, and they have seven children together. Of his seven children, only Liyayi, 25, and Shivachi, 21, who have followed in his footsteps and are members of ‘Ingwe Isukuti group’. On a typical day, they wear unique costumes, and use a set of three drums of varying sizes, all made from the skin of a monitor lizard. An antelope horn, blown like a vuvuzela, also forms part of their musical instruments.
The band has since started performing at weddings, in graduation ceremonies and in celebrations. The size can grow to 18 performers, depending on the size of the occasion. Such events are few and far between, but payment can be anything from Sh80,000 to Sh100,000.
