Why popular Mugithi singer stole a guitar from his village church

By , K24 Digital
On Thu, 14 Oct, 2021 13:25 | 2 mins read

Mike Rua is a big name in the entertainment realm. He is loved and loathed in equal measure thanks to his singing style that is laced with lewd lyrics.

The King of Mugithi is adept at charming the young and the old with his value-added songs, most of which were done by other musicians.

An interesting story about Rua is how he transformed from a struggling village boy to a music superstar.

Reports say that a guitar belonging to his village church is what made him a popular one-man artist but how he acquired the guitar, is what is hilarious and crooked at the same time.

In a recent YouTube interview, Rua revealed that he stole the guitar from Igegania Catholic Church in his village in Mang’u, Kiambu county.

He said that he had been familiar with the guitar since he was in primary school since most of the time the church's musical instruments were being stored in their home. At the time, he said that their church was still under construction.

He also revealed that he spent time watching the choir members practice with the guitar and later on secretly practice playing it at home. He, however, learned to play guitar like a pro after he joined Gikindu Secondary School where he had more sanctioned access to it.

When the construction of the church was completed, the instrument was moved to the church for further storage hence making him lose interaction with the guitar. The church's keys were, however, still being kept at his parent’s house.

So one day he waited until his parents went to sleep, then went to their room, picked the keys, went to the church, and stole the guitar before quietly returning the keys back to his parent's house. After stealing the guitar, Rua said he flee to Githurai the same night to live with a relative.

“I plotted how to get hold of the key before fleeing to Nairobi after dropping out of school. Music was more important to me than anything else, including education” Rua said.

“Back home my parents were mad at me for learning my mischief,” he added.

Rua joined Queen Ja Les Les band of the late songstress Queen Jane where he was being paid Sh300 per show as a bass guitarist.

His breakthrough as an artist came through after he one day attended an event but the main artist failed to appear hence forcing him to perform lewd songs.

Since the breakthrough, the artist has visited a number of countries around the world including London and the USA for performances. In Kenya, you are likely to find the artist in upmarket clubs like Galileo Lounge in Westlands and Space Lounge & Grill along Lang’ata Road.

Rua today is among the highest-paid Mugithi singer thanks to his electrifying event performances.

After the breakthrough, he bought his church a new guitar and he currently has a good relationship with his relatives and the members of his village church.

Besides his smutty lyrics, Rua in collaboration with 125Musiq Crew produced the song “How We Do”, a blend of Mugithi and hip-hop.