Eric Obuya, better known as MC Exodus, has become a household name in Kenya, captivating audiences with his humorous and relatable skits on social media.
Through hard work and determination, Exodus has risen from relative obscurity to now rubbing shoulders with the who-and-whos of Kenya’s entertainment industry, the likes of Wilbroda, Alex Mwakideu, Willis Laburu, Obinna, and Mama Kayai.
In a candid interview with Radio 47, MC Exodus shared the highs and lows of his path to success. This is his journey as told by WOK:
Early Life and Hardships
Eric Obuya was born in Migori, where he was raised by his grandmother after losing both parents at a young age. After completing his Form 4 education, he moved to Nairobi in search of better opportunities.
His aunt offered him a job as a house help in Athi River’s Sunset Boulevard estate, where he assisted with household chores for a promised salary of Ksh 3,000. However, he never received this payment, as his aunt considered his food and shelter sufficient compensation.
In Athi River, the charismatic and ever-lively Obuya was often the life of many a party, where he expressed his creative talent by entertaining his neighbours with humorous skits.
In 2016, a supportive neighbour was so impressed by Eric’s potential that she paid for his fare to attend auditions at Carnival for the Churchill Show. This opportunity marked his entry into Kenya’s creative scene.
“When I went to Churchill auditions, I got motivated when I saw other creative artists,” he recalled during his Radio 47 interview. Around this time, he also engaged in menial jobs, such as selling shoes, to make ends meet.
Life’s Challenges
After a year in Athi River, Eric moved to Kawangware to live with his cousin. Life there was tough, with the duo residing in a modest mabati (iron sheet) house. “We once came from mjengo work to find that thieves had stolen our mattress and stove,” shared the 29-year-old.
Later, his cousin invited him to Lang’ata, where Eric became an active member of Winners’ Chapel, participating in Bible studies and church dramas.
However, a fallout with his cousin left him homeless, forcing him to seek refuge in the church’s store room in South B, near Mombasa Road. The store room was where mattresses and cleaning agents were kept and was housed in the same building as the church toilet.
“It was not a good place to live, but I had nowhere else to go. So, I decided to live in that storeroom,” shared Obuya. “Youth programs were numerous in the church. I would attend the programs until 4 pm, then I would go and sleep in the store.”
A compassionate church member eventually discovered his situation and invited him to live with her family in Lang’ata, providing him with a mattress and basic utensils to restart his life.
Eric later moved to Tassia, sharing a single-room house with a friend. With no furniture or food, they relied on the kindness of a neighbor who provided meals. To sustain himself, Eric ventured into selling carrier bags, earning a modest profit of Ksh 100–200 daily.
The Spark of Content Creation
In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eric, then known as MC Deadly, began his content creation journey.
His dream of becoming a radio broadcaster led him to Milele FM in 2021, where he approached presenter Alex Mwakideu, a personal idol. “I joined a group of youths who were waiting for Mwakideu outside the gates of DSM place,” shared Obuya. “When I saw Alex, I approached him and explained to him that I was interested in working at Milele FM as a radio presenter and sought his advice.”
Predictably, Mwakideu cited Obuya’s inexperience in the media industry and explained to him that it would be very hard for him to be hired as an inexperienced presenter. Instead, he advised him to focus on content creation, create a name for himself, and then try his luck.
This encounter planted the seed for Eric’s content creation career.
Lacking a phone, he collaborated with another creator, providing ideas for skits that were shot and posted using the partner’s device. For eight months, he borrowed phones to create, edit, and post content, growing his social media accounts one follower at a time.
Rise to Fame as MC Exodus
In 2021, Eric opened his own TikTok account under the name MC Exodus. His skits, often reflecting everyday Kenyan struggles with humor, quickly gained traction.
By 2023, a viral collaboration with another content creator landed him an advertising job, enabling him to purchase his first phone. This milestone allowed him to create content independently, and his follower count soared to 240,000 on TikTok.
By 2025, MC Exodus’s content had gone viral, amassing over one million TikTok followers and tens of thousands on other platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
Today, his efforts have paid off as he has carved a career out of content creation. “I have started earning from my content, as it feeds my family, pays our rent, and clothes us,” shared the soon-to-be father of one.
His dream is to establish a production company that creates short films celebrating Kenyan culture.