Kenya is overflowing with untapped talent. Many comedians are rising up with unique content that they share on social media platforms, like facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Gone are the days when one had to be on Churchill show to be considered a great comedian.
Victor Naman Omutula, or simply Ujinga Za Victor Naman, is one such comedian who has used social media to become one of the most recognizable entertainers of our generation.
He entertains Kenyans with funny videos that are a reflection of the current happenings in the country. With over 1 million followers on Facebook and 223K plus subscribers on his YouTube channel. He has over 37 million views by the time of publishing this article.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Education
Born and raised in Kakamega, Victor attended Shikomare Primary School, Kakamega. He then joined St. Peter’s Boys Mumias before proceeding to Railways Training Institute in 2006 for a diploma in Electrical Engineering.
Growing up, he did not know what he aspired to become but during his school days, he imitated teachers and even relatives at home. He was such a naughty kid and this got him into trouble sometimes.
Family
The comedian is married to a lady named Anne who features in some of his videos. The two met three years ago and got married a year later. They have a two and a half year son named Larry but he does not want to expose him to social media.
Career
Victor started comedy on TV before deciding to take the then less trodden social media path.
The funnyman joined a group called Rib crackers and they came up with the idea of a prank show which was called “Naswa.”
It first aired on Citizen TV before finding a new home on K24. Naman and his fellow actors would pull pranks on unsuspecting people on the streets.
The next stop was at XYZ show. After showing up in a couple of events, the show’s head of voice department, Edward Khaemba urged him to try a part on XYZ. His voice matched that of Atwoli and he made the cut.
The next show was Mr. Speaker sir which aired on QTV, before the station closed down. He starred in the show as the parody of Kenneth Marende, the former speaker of the national assembly.
He is also the director of the “Kaa Rada” show that used to air on Citizen TV and “Ikara ritho” on Inooro FM. (Source: Daily Nation)
In 2017, he started his own brand on Facebook and a YouTube channel called “Ujinga Za Victor Naman.” He does this to date and updates videos consistently on both platforms.
The comedy centers around food, especially Ugali and Chicken ( a favourite meal among the Luhya community, where he also comes from) and trending topics.
The comedian has done impressions of Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Waititu and Francis Atwoli to mention but a few.
Victor can do over forty voice impressions. He had a chance to perform on Churchill Show where he imitated Raila Odinga when he was a guest at the same show.
Later, Raila gave him a six out of ten. Ida Odinga has also invited him to perform at a function she hosted. The father of one has also met the deputy president William Ruto. His comedy has also enabled him to work with various brands, such as safaricom.
The content creator also owns a café called Vick-Anne fish Point in Kimbo, Juja. He runs the business together with his wife.
Advice to upcoming comedian
Victor Naman advices up coming comedians not to be afraid to put their content out there. They should not start comedy as a way of earning money but because they are passionate about it. This is because sometimes it takes a long time for comedy to start paying off.
