Genge music sensation Major Nameye Khadija ‘Mejja’ is asking his fans to pray for him as he battles a throat condition that is threatening to end his music career.
Explaining his hiatus in an interview with Mseto East Africa, the ‘Kanairo Dating’ hitmaker said he developed a throat-related complication late last year. It started with a flu that he contracted while on tour in Australia last August.
Upon his return to Kenya, he started experiencing pain in his throat and bouts of voice loss.
Mejja tried to self-medicate using over-the-counter medication from a local chemist who said he may have gotten a sore throat from a poorly maintained AC fan.
“I have been having issues with my throat. When I was in Australia I had a flu and could not get access to medicine and I was performing every day. When I came back the pain was on and off even after taking over-the-counter drugs,” he said.
The drugs worked for a while but earlier this year, he noticed blood in his sputum, prompting him to seek specialized medical care.
“At the beginning of the year I started noticing that I was constantly feeling irritation in my throat and I later noticed blood in my sputum so I finally went to see a specialist Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) doctor],” he said.
The ‘Usiniharibie Mood’ hitmaker said the condition affected his voice making it hard for him to hit high notes. In fact, he cannot perform some of his hit songs.
“I was only able to perform on stage recently because I had not used my voice in a long time and even then, there are songs that I can no longer perform. Like I can do ‘Tabia Za Wakenya Kanairo’ because it’s at a low pitch but now I cannot hit the notes on ‘Bablas’ or even ‘Siku Hizi Ni KuBad’, my voice cracks,” Mejja told presenter Willy M Tuva.
The rapper said doctors advised him to take a break from music. They also pointed out that his poor water intake contributed to the throat condition.
Mejja admitted that the situation is affecting him psychologically as he does not want to quit music.
“Naomba tu nikue poa, zile ngoma nilikuwa nataka kutoa ni high-pitched cause mimi ni msee wa mastory… To my fans, mniombee kwa sababu inaniaffect pia psychologically… siwezi taka kuacha muziki. Also remember to drink lots of water and avoid sugary things to avoid finding yourself in this situation,” he urged.
Mejja is currently undergoing voice hygiene therapy at Avenue Hospital.
