Colonel Mustapha: From Kenya’s biggest star to pariah (names the fake friends that have forsaken him)

Colonel Mustapha was at one point one of the biggest names in the Kenyan entertainment scene. He started off as one half of the Deux Vultures duo who would croon and rap some of the most memorable and iconic tunes Kenya has ever produced to date. He was among the Ogopa DJ artists who pioneered a new sound that came to define more than just a generation: Kapuka. And while Gen Z might encounter his music in passing, your mother and father probably conceived you after a night of dancing to his hits – both as one half of Deux Vultures or as a solo artist.

His only mistake was being born and getting active at a time when the Kenyan music business was not more than a scene of hip urban kids. There was no real money in entertainment for a long time and it was his generation that fought hard to change that narrative. However, as we all know, pioneers seldom get to enjoy the fruits of their labour. He that plants the tree seldom gets to eat the fruits born of it nor enjoy the shade provided by it.

And Colonel Mustafa did everything as you’re supposed to. He moved on from Deux Vultures and pursued a solo career. He was a consistent hit machine. He even platformed his cheating ex (Mariah) before they went their separate ways. And when he had aged out of the current market, he moved on to becoming an entertainer. He featured on reality TV and became a social media celebrity during his relationship with Noti Flow.

But somewhere along the line, something went awry. He lost the plot and life -as it so often does in 3rd world shitholes like Kenya- was not easy. He wound up broke and struggling. He attempted to reach out to his friends and peers in entertainment but none would return his calls. And being a man who needs to provide for everyone around him, he decided to humble himself and go work in a “mjengo”.

Problem is, when you’re a former celebrity, this failure will not play out privately. It will be publicised. Both as a cautionary tale but also due to schadenfreude. He wasn’t even allowed the dignity to suffer in privacy. But that soon turned out to be a blessing as he was eventually helped and even got some social media influencing gigs. But as can be expected, people’s generosity is fickle and the well is drying.

At this point, one starts to understand why he would reach out to his old acquaintances and friends: your network is your networth. But as always, this proves to be some nice Pinterest bullshit quote. Those same friends who used to ask him to pose for photos are now avoiding him like a leper.

Time will tell whether his story will take a more positive tone as he wins at life or whether he will crash and burn with him returning to his struggles. But it will be interesting to watch how his erstwhile peers respond to his struggles and desperate attempt to reach out to them.