Eric Omondi, the ‘King of absurdity in Africa’
Eric Omondi has over the years been known for his rib-cracking comedy. But in recent times, he seems to be charting a new path, abandoning what catapulted him to national fame.
The self-proclaimed “King of Comedy in Africa” is fiercely fighting for the title of “King of Absurdity”, making headlines for reasons other than comedy.
From cross-dressing in ridiculous attire, stripping naked and swimming in a river to pulling all sorts of stunts in the name of clout-chasing, the man cannot just seem to catch a break from engaging in questionable antics.
Known for his versatility, in his head though, the Daystar alumnus thinks he is an activist; however, kwa ground, he is involved in “nakedism”, not activism.
“People might think I am crazy, but I am not. I am just passionate about what I do and the entertainment industry,” Omondi once said. “In the business of entertainment, being talked about and visibility equals money, whether negative or positive.”
But can you blame him? Since covering his ribs after undergoing a sudden body transformation, the rib-cracker is tired of covering anything more in his body, with his new persona leaving Kenyans puzzled.
On Tuesday, he picked up where he left off—when he swam ‘naked’ in a river in Turkana—by, together with his entourage, staging a topless sit-down outside Parliament Buildings in protest against the high cost of living in the country.
Appearing well-built and properly fed, the young men seemed to have been protesting over the increase in supplement prices and not food prices.
The chief executive officer of Big Tyme Entertainment has recently been using protests to pass across his message, to mixed reactions.
He has, nonetheless, admitted in the past that he is more of ‘paper chasing’ than clout chasing with his antics.
The widely popular funny man is, however, not new to controversy. He has actually emerged as a controversial character in recent times, developing a knack for the unpleasant.
He stirs controversy with every action or word he utters, and everything he touches turns into a storm and not gold like King Midas.
If he is not attacking and lecturing other artists, he is probably in a public spat with a prominent person or is being arrested for sharing inappropriate content as he engages in one gimmick after another just to stay relevant.
In 2018, he landed in trouble after sharing a video of himself swimming naked with children while only hiding his private parts with his hands.
Branding himself the saviour of the Kenyan music industry by fighting for more airplay for Kenyan music, he instead ended up stepping on more toes than helping the cause.
In the case of “the pot calling the kettle black”, he recently called out former and current gospel musicians for killing the industry by chasing controversy, further alleging that some have turned the industry into ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’.
His involvement in ugly spats with former MCSK boss Ezekiel Mutua led to his arrest in 2021 for sharing unauthorised content on his social media pages.
The scandal-ridden funny man has also been involved in a baby mama drama with former TV journalist Jackie Maribe, who accused him of being a deadbeat for failing to provide for their son.
