NYANDIKA OMOI.NYAMWARI RYTHIMIST HISTORY
AS COMPILED AND NARRATED BY MEKENYE BW’OBARA.
Yuvinalis Nyandika Omoi was born around 1950 at mwokiango village,Bogitaa sublocation,Riana location Bonchari constituency KISII county.He was the 5th born in the family of 8.He went to Nyamiobo primary School and dropped out of school in class three.Nyandika married his late wife Margret Moraa[Yuna]from Nyabiendi village Bomariba in 1972.They were blessed with seven children 4 boys and 3 girls.Out of the seven,two,a girl and a boy lived with disabilities.
MUSIC
MZEE Andrew Omoi father to Nyandika,used to work in a European firm in Mombasa,where he lived with his family.It is not well understood as to why a working class person could allow his boy drop out of school that early.Mzee Omoi was a very good friend to the whites he was working for.They loved him to an extent of sharing with him a table during meals and entertainments.At the entertainments,the wazungu used to play live music.One day,Nyandika a young boy,accompanied his father to the eatery.In that joint,there was a live band that was perfoming and Nyandika started crying to his father to request the guitarists to allow him touch one.It was not an easy thing for a black to be allowed to touch anything that belonged to the white then.Leave alone sharing a table.But,,who knows what God holds for an individual?No body.Since mzee Omoi was a very close friend to the band members,one day they allowed his boy to get hold of a guitar during their break time.Surprise to many,Nyandika handled the guitar very well as if he had done it before.This is when one of the band members helped him in handling rhythm by showing him using another guitar.Then Nyandika did exactly as he was instructed.His father was surprised too.That evening ,they went home a happy family.All these happened because of friendship and mzee spoke fluent English which was a problem to many africans then.
The following day,Nyandika started persuading his father to go where they were the previous day as early as it could not allow.In the evening ,they went there and Nyandika requested his father to take a front seat where he can be able to see how exactly rhythm guitar was being handled and plucked.That is exactly what his father did.At break time ,Nyandika went straight to the person who was playing rhythm and requested to allow him get hold of the guitar.It is not clear what happened but,the day that followed,Mzee Andrew Omoi went to the shop and bought his boy a guitar.This is where now the journey started.After some view years,the family relocated to Kisii but mzee Omoi remained back in Mombasa.Nyandika did not leave his guitar behind.
In KIsii,Nyandika used to walk along with his guitar and could entertain whoever wanted to be entertained but he had not mastered it well.
WHO SHARPENED HIM?
His uncle from Bomariba keboye near mogumo market[brother to his mother] the late Nyamao Thimisiano who was also a brother to snr rtd chief Samwel Nyabwanga,influenced Nyandika so much.Nyamao was a guitarist.He mentored his nephew greatly and sharpened his skills of playing guitar.Nyandika could play solo,rhythm and bass but chose to play rhythm whenever need a rose.He could equally sing second voice but this is when composing and during practice.He never sung any song in studio.
BAND
Back at the village in 1970,there were three wazees the late Motio Oseko,late Miruka Nyakebako,John omooria and John Mokomba Manoti aka Manengo,teamed up with Nyandika and they could entertain people in the local dens and were showered with local drinks.Later Nyandika,miruka and Motio,formed Nyamage band.They were joined by Joseph Nyabayo Karasi,joseph Morira Ondari[ingine na ingine -featured in eburasitiki song which is in the lable of Etwani buga 18 of kegogi band].They composed very many songs but were unable to record them, until when Oluoch Kanindo helped them to record their first song under Nyamage band.The song was in ‘EKENYENGA LABEL.number 1 which had songs,Agao Nyamweze and Gatharina Kerubo.Nyandika did rhythm.The other songs such as Nyangweso Bw’Otiende were later recorded in Nyamwari.
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