Joseph Kamaru

Joseph Kamarū (1939 – 3 October 2018) was a Kenyan Benga and gospel musician and political activist. He was an icon, a hero, and a leading Kikuyu musician, who has sold about half a million records. He was notable for his politically motivated songs either praising or criticizing the government. His music covered the teachings of life, promiscuity and sexual harassment in Kenyan politics and social culture. He started pursuing music in 1965.

Career Kamarū made his first breakthrough in 1967 with Celina. Initially he had a good relationship with president Jomo Kenyatta, After Kenyatta's death, the succeeding president, Daniel arap Moi, was close to the artist. In 1980, Kamarū toured Japan as a part of President Moi's entourage. The songs launched his status as a Kikuyu music legend and impacted East Africans’ music scene with classic hits such as "Gathoni" and "Charia Ungi".

In the 1990s, Kamarū announced that he had been "born again" and would no longer perform the secular music on which he had built his career. He would however make several secular performances years later. The change saw a plunge in his record sales. He also ran two record stores in Nairobi. Kamarū expressed interest in building a Kikuyu cultural home on one of his many farms in Mūrang'a to safeguard and protect the Kikuyu culture, though this was not accomplished as he died in October 2018. In the interview, Kamarū said "God could not take me until I oversaw changes in the music industry and mentor upcoming musicians to get the best songs for their audiences and in return get a better pay". He was survived by 2 siblings, 1 daughter and 3 sons.