Showbuzz: Why comedian Njugush rules out ever becoming a politician

Online skits comedian Njugush, who lately has been doing a lot of commentaries on issues of governance and politics, has no plans of venturing into politics.

Njugush has always been critical of poor government performance and has been recently appearing on TV programs for commentary, even mimicking politicians accused of bad governance and corruption in his skits.

Whereas he is deeply entrenched in the happenings of the country, being a politician is one thing that hasn’t crossed his mind yet.

“I don’t think I can be a politician, I don’t think it’s in my place. I am not cut for leadership. Let each person do what they are supposed to. If I am powerful in what I do, skits, of which I am, if that’s where I can influence, then that is the right place for me. I can’t go into leadership because it's not my thing. And that’s the problem we are having in this country, those people who are not qualified are in those positions,” Njugush says.

The funny man recently launched a book Whispers from My Childhood detailing his journey as a child growing up.

Phina believes Otile Brown is misunderstood

Bongo flava star Phina has come to the defence of vocalist Otile Brown, who recently faced criticism from his entertainment peers in Kenya and Tanzania over remarks he made.

Last month, while speaking on Obinna TV, Otile claimed, “No East African has reached international levels.”

Even though he went in-depth into explaining his arguments, the remarks were not taken lightly with several artistes like Bien Aime firing back at him.

“It irks me a bit when Otile says that because people are busy building... Who is Sofia Nzau to you? Have you never heard of “Mwaki”. It has 100 million downloads on Spotify and she has been performing abroad, recently she was in South Africa. I have been on tour all year round; I have played in Kenya only once this year and I have played over 20 shows. Otile needs to rethink himself,” said Bien when he was hosted on the same show.

From Tanzania, a number of stars pointed to Diamond Platnumz who has been privileged to perform on international stages such as Afro Nation.

But Phina feels, “Otile Brown is one person with the heart of gold, only that he is always misunderstood because he speaks his mind, he has no filters. He gave me my breakthrough when I was up-and-coming, without a hit... he was so accommodating and that’s how we created ‘Super Woman’ that turned out to be my first hit song.”

Peter Macon to give Kenyan actors masterclass

Kenyan actors will get a chance to interact with Hollywood star Peter Macon who is set to visit Kenya in September this year.

The actor will be visiting Kenya to deliver a master class in film and theatre organised by YORA. Currently, the Emmy Award-winner portrays Raka in the high-flying science fiction film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes which was released in May and has so far grossed $396 million (Sh51 billion) at the box office.

Macon has been working as a professional actor for the last 35 years as he prepares for his second return to Africa.

“I have learnt to expect the unexpected, which I think is a good thing. It’s a good surprise, albeit strange when you get called up for roles, never knowing quite what type they will be. I think it’s kind of just part of my story and my journey,” he says.

During his master class in Nairobi, Macon is also expected to share knowledge on what it takes to break into Hollywood, and his career journey; which he notes hasn’t been easy.

Until three years ago, the film star admits he had experienced a ‘spurt of downtime’ in his career. In a recent interview, the actor who became a hit on Fox’s Sci-fi series “The Orville”, says he has found a groove in Hollywood but was quick to admit that it took time to figure out what that was. Commercials, for instance, were a no-go for the imposing Macon.

“Being told no 195 times, you kind of got to listen,” he is quoted.

In 2002, Macon won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over for narrating the episode “John Henry, The Steel Driving Man”.