In a candid interview on Oga Obinna’s YouTube channel, renowned Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi shed light on the reasons behind his abrupt departure from Radio Jambo after a relatively short stint of just eight months.
Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t fired; instead, he felt the weight of his dual career.
Omondi’s foray into radio was initially met with enthusiasm and excitement.
He joined Radio Jambo, one of Kenya’s top radio stations, and found himself sharing the airwaves with Gidi and Ghost, two established radio personalities.
Despite the high expectations, Omondi realized that the early morning radio grind didn’t align with his natural rhythm.
“I’m not a morning person,” he admitted during the interview.
This candid admission highlighted a fundamental issue – the misalignment of his comedic persona with the demands of early morning radio.
Comedy, for Omondi, was about late-night shows and live performances, not early morning banter.
The tipping point came when Omondi had to make a difficult choice between two lucrative opportunities.
He was forced to miss out on two significant gigs sponsored by Barclays in Kisumu, which would have added nearly half a million shillings to his bank account.
The reason? His radio commitments took precedence.
“We missed two Barclays shows in Kisumu, worth almost half a million, and that’s when we decided to write a letter to management,” Omondi revealed during the interview.
This episode exposed the inherent conflict between his radio job and his thriving career in comedy.
Faced with these challenges, Omondi had a heart-to-heart conversation with his manager.
They concluded that it was time to move on from his radio stint. Together, they drafted a resignation letter, marking the end of his time at Radio Jambo.
However, Omondi’s exit from radio was far from the end of his career. Instead, it marked a new chapter.
He embarked on a global comedy tour that has taken him to 17 countries, including the United States.
This tour not only allowed him to reach a broader international audience but also gave him the freedom to pursue his passion for comedy on his own terms.