George Kinyonga

George Peter Kinyonga (February 20, 1950 – December 24, 1992) was a Tanzanian born musician who later migrated to Kenya together with his siblings Wilson Kinyonga and William Kinyonga.

Born in Tanzania to a Muslim mother called Mariam and a Christian father called Peter Kisaka both from Kigoma in western Tanzania. Peter Kinyonga and his elder brother Wilson Kinyonga founded the rumba band Simba Wanyika which would later spawn Les Wanyika, Super Wanyika Stars and other offshoots.

George and Wilson Kinyonga began as musicians in their home town Tanga in Tanzania when they joined Jamhuri Jazz Band in 1966. They moved to Arusha in 1970 and formed Arusha Jazz Band with their other brother, William Kinyonga. In 1970 they moved to Kenya and formed Simba Wanyika, which would become one of the most influential bands in the history of East African music.

Early life and career beginnings George Peter Kinyonga was born, according to him on February 20, 1950, to Peter Kisaka, a truck driver and a Muslim mother called Mariam. Little is known about Kinyonga's mother apart from a few fragments of information alluded to by her sons during various interviews, but what is known is that she was from Kigoma in western Tanzania.

They crossed into Kenya and settled in Mombasa after looking for work in Nairobi with no success, and later founded the Simba Wanyika band.

Illness and death In the late 80s, George began to suffer from different ailments.the ailments ranged from Pneumonia to Tuberculosis. In 1990 during a tour, he picked up a leg injury which proved to be a challenge to him. In 1992 he was brought down by a bout of Pneumonia which later made it difficult for him to sing, and, in fact the band even stopped playing his songs during gigs and tours, but he later performed two of his songs, Pamela and Daima during the Womad festival. This proved to be his last performance. When the band returned from the tour, he checked into a hospital where he would be confined for four weeks. When he was discharged, he remarked about the treatment in a letter, "The treatment has taken almost everything from me, Only rumba has remained."He was hopeful that he would recover, but his health grew from bad to worse. In around November, he was hospitalized again, and his condition now proved to be terminal. On December 23, George went back to be with his family and died a day later of Tuberculosis on 24 December.

He was survived by his wife and six children.