On the first death anniversary of prolific Kenyan actor Charles Bukeko, his former friends and colleagues held a memorial in his honour at PrideInn Azure hotel in Nairobi on Sunday.
The deceased ‘Papa Shirandula’ creator and lead actor would have been smiling from heaven after his friends and proteges comforted his wife Beatrice Andega and offered to take care of their youngest daughter Sherry.
Kiss FM’s Jalango, Kenneth Gichoya aka Njoro, and Kazungu Matano alias Captain Otoyo made a pledge to educate Sherry through to University.
“From today onwards, Sherry should never worry about her school fees, we will handle it, myself, Otoyo and Njoro,” Jalango said.
“I will give you a cheque to cater for her entire primary school at Moi Educational Centre and even when she joins Form 1. Never worry about her education because if Papa was alive, he would have catered for that in a good school.”
Njoro shouted: “Sherry ni wetu.”
Jalang’o added: “I want Papa to smile wherever he is for the good work he did for us. If it weren’t for Papa, I wouldn’t be the brand you see here today; our daughter will never worry about school fees again. Mum, I promise you from today to the University, provided we are all alive, we will take responsibility for her fees.”
Njoro on his part said Papa Shirandula transformed his life completely and set him on the path to success.
“He changed my life from a matatu tout to a landlord. That shows you the impact he had in my life, from zero to here. It can easily show the huge impact. From zero to here,” he said.
Adding: “I was a nobody. Now I walk in and everyone knows me. My name changed from Ken Gechoya to Njoro. He transformed my life to success.”
Meanwhile, Papa’s widow was left in tears by the pledge from the former Papa Shirandula actors.
“There are problems you wonder how you will solve, But I thank God because he is a God of solutions; what Jalang’o and his friends have done have melted my heart; I was seated here thinking of school while God was working for me. He has made a solution,” Andega said.
