Popular Luo Benga musician Dola Kabarry was the talk of the town on Wednesday, March 30. 2022, after he gifted his daughter Sheryl Mikal a brand new Toyota Prado TX and a Ksh150,000 mobile phone.
The musician together with his wife Consolata Mboga alias Connie Kabarry, were fulfilling a promise they made to their daughter after she garnered 413 marks in the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.
Kabarry is among the most renowned Luo musicians in the country. The veteran artiste has blessed the country’s entertainment scene with a number of bangers that you will rarely miss at entertainment joints.
His wife, Connie is an actress. She has featured in multiple Nollywood films alongside legendary Nigerian actors including John Okafor popularly known as Mr Ibu. She is also a content creator and runs her own YouTube channel.
In this article, WoK takes a look at the life of Dola Kabarry, the awards he has won, his family, and generally, his and his wife’s rise to fame.
Background & Education
Dola Kabarry was born Kevin Omondi Migot in 1982 in Uhembo village in Alego, Siaya County.
Career
Kabarry is the leader of the band Orchestra Super Haki Haki.
His father Barrack Migot led the band Bondo Super Stars. When his father died in 1998, Kabarry took over the band, but later quit due to internal rivalry and formed Orchestra Super Haki Haki in 2000.
During his early career, he had also played with Okatch Biggy, Awino Lawi and Ouma Jerry among others.
Some of his popular songs by 2003 were Iwacho Awacha, Adundo Mum, Sella and Pamela Atoti, Other hits include Dabed gi Pesa, Isando Chunya, Wololo, Nyar josakwa, all in early 2007 and Maoni ya Raia.
Kabarry held a three-month tour of the USA in 2008 and released the album, Wololo.
His song “Change the World” is dedicated to US presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Awards
In 2003, Kabarry was voted “singer of the year” by the Music Composers Association; the award was shared with Suzzana Owiyo.
Kabarry won the “Western benga” category at the 2006 Kisima Music Awards and was again nominated for the award in 2007. He also collaborated with hip hop group Deux Vultures comprising Mustaffa and Nasty Thomas for the hit single, Adhiambo C was also nominated for Kisima Award.
Family
As of 2008, the musician had two wives (Angelina and Jane), three daughters and one son.
Dola later married his third wife, Connie and they are blessed with two children. Their daughter Sheryl Mikal completed her primary education at Kitengela International School, garnering 413 marks.
Connie Kabarry
Connie has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry both locally and internationally. She is an award-winning Nollywood actor and has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Mr Ibu, among other top West African actors.
However, her rise to the top was not a stroll in the park. She too, has had her fair share of challenges in life. She lost her father at the age of 14, and life became challenging for their family.
At the age of 15, a family friend proposed that he would take care of their family only if she agreed to be his wife. He was more than 15 years older than her, but due to their financial situation, her mother agreed to the deal.
He enrolled her at Changamwe Girls Day School. She was however forced to drop out of school at the age of 16 after she conceived her first child.
After her first child, Connie was later asked by her mother to move in with the man and live as husband and wife. She revealed that though they had several disparities, she did it for her family.
“I didn’t want to disappoint my mother and siblings who depended entirely on the man for most of their daily needs. In 2004, I conceived and gave birth to my second child,” Connie narrated in a 2018 interview with the Standard’s Eve Woman.
Her marriage had a lot of ups and downs. She was mentally and physically abused by the husband. Five months after the birth of her second child, her mother died, and she had to work odd jobs to sustain her family.
She quit her marriage in 2009 and moved to Kisumu’s Lolwe estate to begin her new life.
One day, she visited her sister in Mombasa and that is when her life changed. Together, they attended a party where Dola Kabarry was performing. Connie was introduced to the musician by her sister after the party, and a while later, he got in contact with her asking her out.
“One day, I received a call from Dola. We went on a date and he confessed to me that he was in a dead relationship and was in the process of divorcing his estranged wife. I felt I had finally met someone who understood what I was going through,” Connie conceded.
“In 2012, Dola proposed to me. Later, after paying the bride price, he took up the responsibility of my children. He made sure they attended school and paid their school fees,” she added.
In her new marriage, she told Kabarry of her dreams of being an actor. In support of her aspirations and talent, he got in contact with producers and filmmakers in the country but none of the connections bore fruit.
Her life changed for the better in May 2017 when a family friend she identified as Nelson Socheere while on a trip to Nigeria contacted her and introduced her to Okafor (Mr Ibu).
“My great moment came in May last year when I contacted a Kenyan family friend, Nelson Sechere, who was on a visit to Nigeria. Little did I know that he was a close ally of Nigerian actor and comedian John Okafor, Mr. Ibu,” Connie revealed.
“As soon as I informed him of my interest to feature in a Nollywood movie, he introduced me to Mr Ibu who invited me over to the country’s Enugu State to audition for a film role alongside actors Kenneth Okonkwo and Nkem Owoh,” She added.
Since then, her career has been on the rise. She featured alongside talented actors from Africa’s largest film industry and in 2018, her very own produced movie, Almost Perfect, debuted on February 2, 2018.
Shot in Nigeria’s Enugu state, the film features popular Nigerian actors Nonso Diobi, Chiege Alisigwe, and Dougad. This earned her a nomination for the 2018 ‘Nollywood Excellence and Leadership Awards’ (NELA) which she won.
Connie has had the privilege of starring in a film alongside Mr. Ibu and Nkem Owoh popularly known as Ousofia.
