BUSINESS MEETS MUSIC

It’s at 8 o’clock on a Saturday night. Daystar University off campus seems quiet with crickets chirping away joyfully as though celebrating the arrival of nightfall. Runda estate, a hostel, particularly seems to be quiet for a Saturday night.

 His phone rings only once and he answers it immediately. “Simama hapo kwa gate nakukujia”, (stay at the gate I am coming to pick you) a husky voice says from the other end. After a few minutes a five-foot figure appears from the darkness and a familiar face appears. “Welcome to Runda estate,” he says with a smile.

 Inside his single roomed apartment, a pink poster of Notorius B.I.G, a famous rapper who featured in the Hip Hop music industry in the 1990’s, covers the wall beside his well made bed. The television set is on, which is a contrast to the serene environment outside. Next to the sink are toothbrushes of different colors. He notices them and smiles. “I travel a lot and every time I come back I manage to come back with a toothbrush,” he says as he serves juice and biscuits.

Ever heard of Robert Muema? He may not be a familiar name to the Daystar community but mention Roba (his nickname) to any student living off campus and this will make them smile.

“Oh you mean Roba? Yes I know him”, says Peter Nyagah, a student living off campus when asked about Robert Muema.

 To some he is known as MC Kenzi, Mzito, Robe, Cold season and to others MC Mboga.

 So who is Robert Muema?

“I am a people person, I love helping people. Actually, I don’t think I have enemies,” he says as he sits on his bed and mutes his television set. Robert is a third year student currently pursuing a major in Communication and a minor in Marketing.

The fourth born of a family of six children smiles widely when asked about his family. “My step sisters actually think I have a wife and children of my own because I am way older than they are,” he laughs. He explains that he had gone home the previous day to see his family.

 His mother died when he was seventeen years old.  She left behind two girls and a boy. “My dad and I became close when my mother died. I value him a lot,” he offers.

He attended Nairobi School and later joined Jomo Kenyatta University Technology (JKUAT) in 2008. There he studied Purchasing and Logistics for one academic year before joining Daystar in May 2009. “Math was a problem back then and I was only doing the course to please my father but here in Daystar I am doing Advertising because I love it”, he says.

Business to Robert is not a new venture. He started out by owning a barber shop and also a shop with his brother and sisters in Athi River town. However, today the barber shop is closed.

 “It was closed because of poor management. The barber we hired started disrespecting us by being rude and dishonest. Can you imagine after we fired him he opened a barber shop right next to ours?” he says his velvet brown complexion turning red due to fury. “The business could not go on since our customers soon became his clients”.

However, this did not dampen their spirits since they had another shop to maintain. “I still own the shop and I check up on it”, he says. “Once my brother and sisters graduated they left it to me”, he adds with a sense of pride.

However that is not all. Back here in campus Robert has managed to still venture into yet another business.

 “I started my business named Cold Season Swag during blocks (May semester) this was during the cold season”, he says when asked about his business. He sold articles like hats, marvins, jumpers, gloves, scarfs, socks and caps. 

Robert Muema with sweaters and jumpers that he sells

“I remember also carrying the scarfs and gloves on campus in my bag and immediately after class I would go around the same class trying to sell them,” he says. “People would buy them while others would take them on credit”. He would also incorporate his marketing skills that he learnt from the class setting to reach his customers.

“The most stubborn customers are ladies. They like bargaining a lot!” he says with a chuckle.

Robert has friends who also supported him. One of them was Betty Kache who introduced the idea of making posters. “Robert is a very focused and he has nice fashionable items. My friends and I helped him come up with posters,” she says beaming.

His business off campus would start between 4pm after class to 7pm. During this time he would go around various estates or courts selling the clothes.

Robert would sell a jumper between ksh.350 to 400 shillings. “On a good day I would leave the house with ten jumpers and come back in the evening with two of them,” he says, obviously proud of his achievements.

He did this to get allowance which is around Ksh.2000 and also money for recording.

Yes, this man is not only an entrepreneur but he has something else up his sleeves, music.

 He is part of a Hip Hop group by the name Autopilots. The members are Brian Kariuki whose stage name is MC Yobs, William Malombe also called Losh Mzuka and Stephanie Ndunge. “We are called Autopilots because we are self driven in the music industry,” he beams.

How did he wind up with a name like MC Mboga?

“They gave me MC Mboga because I once asked them why mama mboga is called mama mboga and yet she has not given birth to mboga,” he counters as he stands up obviously tired from the fatigue of travelling the whole day.

How did the group meet? Robert met William in their orientation group in 2009 during blocks. However, it was until he saw William perform that they became close friends. “I saw him perform in TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday) event here in Daystar in 2009,” he recalls. They eventually started hanging out together and trying new things out. The rest joined them later and the group was formed in 2010.

 The group so far has five songs and is currently recording their songs at Amplified Studios which belongs to a Daystar student. They pay Kshs. 5000 for studio time. The group also has a Facebook page where they put up their updates on where they will perform next.

Everyone needs a role model and when Robert is asked this he looks up to the wall to a poster of Notorious B.I.G a rapper who dominated the hip hop scene before his death. He mentions Ice Cube, who is also a rapper, actor, producer and director. “I like Ice Cube music because he talks about reality”, he says almost in a whisper.

It’s now 10.00 PM and Robert is definitely tired. He produces a tired yawn and this wraps up the interview.

 “Let me escort you out”, he says as he looks for his shoes. Outside the crickets seem to have stopped chirping away as the night grew darker and darker.