Les Wanyika, jewels that never came back home

The Beat. Dar es Salaam. It is one of these weekends and as the norm is most people flock the bars with a live band playing copy of old songs popularly known as Zilipendwa.

The frenzy is further heightened when the all time favourite Sina Makosa, Wanyika’s mega hit, Afro, Pamela and Nimaru are widely played in the bars and clubs across the region.

Little known to many of their current crop of fan-base they were part of Tanzanian musicians who made a mark after crossing the border in the 1970s in search for greener pastures in Kenya.

In 1971, two brothers from Tanga, Wilson and George Kinyonga formed a band which they would later call Simba Wanyika, (Lions of the Savannah).

Due to unsteady economic conditions the 1970s which strained the music industry, most of the artistes of that time including Mbaraka Mwinshehe migrated to Kenya.

The Simba Wanyika group, which was initially known as Arusha Jazz, was formed in Arusha as an offshoot of the legendary Jamhuri Jazz band.

Fans will remember some of the popular songs by Jamhuri Jazz band like ‘Shingo la Upanga’ and ‘Nafikiria Kurudi Shamba’ and Wasiwasi Ondoa.

Under Arusha Jazz, the Kinyonga brothers (George, Wilson and William) recorded songs like ‘Mama Suzie’, ‘Mary Mtoto’ and ‘Tutengane Salama’.

Journey into Kenya

When the group moved to Kenya in 1974, through Mombasa where they teamed up with Omari Shaaban, Tom Malanga and, later Rashid Juma and redid most of those songs.

Sadly, despite being Tanzanians, today their songs are classified under Kenyan music, where they performed and did most of their recordings.

Before long, Omari Shaaban left Simba Wanyika. The group, which was by then led by Wilson, first pitched camp in Mombasa at the then popular Sports View Hotel.

In 1975, the group moved to Nairobi, where they first played at Marathon Club, then later Tree Shade Hotel in Parklands.

However, all was not the well between Omari and the Kinyonga brothers, who parted company in 1977.

Alongside with Tom Malanga, saxophonist Rashid Juma, guitarist Phoney Mkwanyule, trumpeter Usijali Zua , Stanley Mtambo and others, he formed Orchestra Les Wanyika in November 1978.

Speaking to Kenya’s Daily Nation in an earlier interview, Malanga the Rabbai-born Kenyan in the band, recalled the days.

“Nairobi was the melting pot with many new bands and we were determined to prove to be the best,” he said.

Others who later joined Les Wanyika Band include guitarist John Ngereza, from Orchestra Bwambe Bwambe, the deep-voiced Issa Juma , Joseph Just, Mohammed Tika Abdallah and Victor Boniface.

Professor Omari Shaaban who died in 1998, was a household name at the time and was well known for being soft-spoken and was one of the most smartly dressed musicians.

Many of them will be familiar with one of the hit songs he composed, Pamela. What they might not know is that the band leader was, in fact, singing about his wife.

Professor Omar Shaaban’s legacy

During the commemoration of Shaban’s death last year his widow, Pamela Omari, confirmed to the Daily Nation, that the song Paulina was composed in her honour.

“I first met Omari in 1974 while I was still in school,” Pamela recalled.

Pamela today remains attracted to the man and his music as she was so many years ago, she is committed to preserving Professor Omar Shaaban’s legacy.

One version of the hit song Pamela was released by Orchestra Simba Wanyika and the other, later, by Les Wanyika, which Omar Shaban had established after parting ways with the Kinyonga brothers.

Pamela remembers the events of the time as if they just happened a few weeks ago. Pamela No1, she says, was released while she was still in school.

“I feel honoured taking care of the two children, Emily and Marcus, whom I had with Prof Omar,” she says. Emily lives in Germany while Marcus is in Kenya.

Omar is also remembered for the all-time hit song, Sina Makosa, whose cover versions have been done by several other famous musicians.

The rivalry between Omar and the Kinyonga brothers was immortalized in two songs, Sikujua kama Utabadilika and Sina Makosa.

Though there are several claims on who exactly composed the iconic Sina Makosa, Pamela says it was Professor Omar’s composition after he fell out with and parted company with Wilson and George Peter Kinyonga to form Les Wanyika in November 1978. Sina Makosa became an instant hit that won gold record.

Omar died 20 years after forming the Orchestra Les Wanyika band. George Peter died in December 1992, while Wilson Peter died three years later.

Though on the surface, the lyrics of the two songs were about family feuds, they were, indeed, actually about the differences between Omar and his former colleagues.

The Les Wanyika group, which pitched camp at the then popular Bombax Club off Ngong Road in Nairobi, is best remembered for compositions like Afro, Paulina, Dunia Kigeu geu, Kwanza Jiulize, Ufukara si Kilema, and Sioni wala sisikii, among others. Like most other groups, Les Wanyika was hit by a defection when Issa Juma left to form Super Wanyika alongside other musicians.

In 1983, Omari took the band on a tour to Uganda on return they released ‘Safari Sio Kifo’, which talked of some of the tribulations they faced in Uganda.

Later in 1988, Omari briefly teamed up with the Everest Kings band, then led by Abdul Muyonga, to record the popular song Kujenga ni kazi Ngumu Kubomoa ni Rahisi.

As Muyonga put it, “Omari was a humble colleague who was dedicated to his work on stage.”He later rejoined Orchestra Les Wanyika till his death February 1998. According to Pamela his body was found abandoned in Kisumu after he had gone missing for almost two weeks.

“It was a painful loss, but I have ever since endured and taken up the courage and determination of keeping his family alive,” she says.