‘Papa Shirandula’ actress Jacky Vike alias ‘Awinja’ spoke up about her childhood, revealing that she was raised by an alcoholic father who was otherwise reliable.
Speaking on ‘Engage Talk’, Vike said her parents worked for the Nairobi City Council and her dad was a cleaner. She was raised in Majengo area of Nairobi.
“He loved alcohol but was the most responsible father who treasured education and loved God,” she said.
Awinja added: “He was a drunkard. When a day passed without my mother being called to pick her husband, it was surprising. Sometimes we would be taking supper and hear screams outside, ‘Kujeni mchukue Baba Bony ameanguka kwa Mtaro na atanyongwa na maji. And we would run to his rescue.”
The actress recalled an incident where her father’s drinking embarrassed her.
“We were from upcountry and my grandma gave us chicken. My dad had not planned to slaughter it. But I released it and it got lost. My dad came in the evening, and this time he was sober. When he heard that the chicken was lost, he went to take alcohol,” she said.
In the middle of the night, her dad came shouting and singing, addressing the person who had stolen the chicken.
“The next day I went to school. While in class, some kids passed by, repeating what my father had been singing the previous night. When they were called, they narrated to the whole class how my father behaved the previous night. The whole class laughed at me,” she said.
The actress noted that despite the embarrassment, her father was loving, responsible and made sure they got educated.
Awinja recalled how she received the news of his death.
“The teacher found it difficult to talk to me. He said I have to go home because I have a fee balance, but I did not have a balance. But I sensed there was something wrong. I was released to go home and when I arrived, I found people crying and my cousin approached me, saying it was my father,” she said.
Awinja said her dad died in his sleep, next to her mum.
“He was at home, then started complaining of feeling cold. My mum lit a stove to keep him warm. They slept, but the next day it was only my mum who woke up. He was taken to the city mortuary,” she said.
