Churchill the Kingmaker or Career Crusher?

Talk of standup comedy in Kenya then sure Churchill is the king of it all; he is one person I would say he has the “power” to make or kill the careers of comedians in this country.

A product of the then famed Redykyulass comedy by Nyambane, Tonny and K.J, Churchill rose to outdo and outshine all the comedy shows in the country to become a benchmark of standup comedy in the country today. When I remember Churchill as one of the guest comedian at Redykyulass; I swear I could not imagine a little bit that the then Churchill would one day be the king of comedy in the country. He rose to success slowly but cemented his footprint on the country’s wall of fame in a way that is widely admired by so many people.

Churchill has always been philanthropic enough to share his success by giving upcoming and underground comedians the much needed platform to launch their careers. Many have risen to fame under the care of Churchill and many are still being introduced to the market. Churchill show has always been the grooming ground for comedians from across the country to be introduced to the greater Kenyan audience.

Many of the established comedians left Churchill to launch their own shows but it is a rather disappointing phenomena that most of them terribly failing in their endeavors. First there was Eric Omondi who left to start his own show Hawayuni show on KTN. The show did not last long; it had a poor reception with Kenyans and was henceforth terminated and Eric returned back to Churchill show. Eric has tried his luck for the second time and he has started the Untamed show; the question I ask is, will Eric’s show stand the taste of time?

Then there was Teacher Wanjiku; she took Churchill show by storm and quickly became the darling of many. She had matured enough in her career and she too left to start her own show on Citizen TV. Her ordeal was rather an embarrassing one as her show was immediately terminated after only airing a single episode of the show. She eventually disappeared from the screens of our television sets and now not much is known of her.

Many other comedians too have left Churchill Show seeking greener pastures only to end up flopping in their ambitions. The good Churchill has always had open arms as he has received the prodigal sons back whenever they pop back from their failed escapades. Does Churchill hold the destiny of Kenyan comedians on his hand?