When popular comedian Mtumishi, real name Gilbert Baraza, revealed his deep-seated hatred towards his mother, social media users went on overdrive to castigate the funnyman while others supported him.
Speaking during a church service at Jesus Christ Compassion Ministry, the comedian claimed that his mother used witchcraft to ruin his marriage among a litany of other accusations.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
So who is Mtumishi?
In a separate story done on WoK, Mtumishi dropped out of school when he was in Form Two. Raised by his mother after his parents’ parted ways, the comedian found solace in the streets. It’s during this period that he was introduced to the world of crime by a friend from Kangemi.
The duo carried out carjacking along the busy Waiyaki Way. In what can only be defined as a miracle, Mtumishi and his partner in crime were arrested after attempting to carjack a motorist in Kiambu only to learn the occupants were flying squad officers. Luckily, they were set free after spending two days in the cells.
Moving to Mombasa
Shocked by the ugly turn of events, he resorted to find a safe haven in Mombasa. He took a job as a watchman before graduating to be a supermarket attendant.
Working a mortuary barber
The funnyman worked in a mortuary as a barber to make end meets,
“I worked as a barber in a mortuary. I used to shave the dead. It was a tough job, though it gave birth to my career. One day, I shaved a friend of mine and that experience really haunted me” he told the Standard in 2019.
He quit the job after this encounter,
“I went back home and did a bit of soul searching. My dream was to be a comedian or actor and I knew, I was not going to die before achieving this. I decided that I will no longer seek employment but rather, exploit my talent,” he shared.
Churchil Show
When he came back to Nairobi, a friend introduced him to church. The two went on to form Kreative Generations. They became popular on the Churchill Show.
Marriage
Mtumishi tied the knot in 2015 in a low-key wedding. His marriage came tumbling down four months later. According to the comedian, his father who attended the wedding came with a message from his mother that the wedding would not last.
“She didn’t like my wife, but that didn’t stop me from marrying her. My mother saw that the wedding was happening. I didn’t know what she did on the night before the wedding, but I wedded my wife. My dad came and told me that my mum had said that our marriage would not last. Four months down the line, the lady dumped me,” he said.
Strained relationship
Mtumishi’s relationship with both his parents was bad but it was his mother he targeted with unhinged salvos. According to the comedian, his mother never supported him saying that he was making noise,
“She did not support me in any way. She used to say I was making noise in the house. She was told by neighbors that I would end up a mad person. They did not understand that I was talented. My mother disowned me and I don’t regret not visiting her,” he said.
When he managed to make an entry on the Churchill show, his mother told him that he “should go away and that she should never see me there.”
It was his ex-girlfriend who came through by lending him Ksh5,000.
“I went out and the funny part is I went back to my ex-lover and she helped me with 5k which I used to buy the jikos for selling smokies” he shared.
“I could not go to my dad because he is already married. I used to meet him on my way to the auditions and he also refused to give me bus fare yet he was working at Royal media”, he went on to add.
And Mtumishi is seemingly not about to talk or mend fences with his mother. He has never picked her calls since 2021 and says that he won’t feel a thing if she died.
“Let me just speak the truth. My mother…even if she dies today, I won’t feel anything. As a child, you might miss your mother and feel the urge to visit her; for the last two years, I have not talked with her. I don’t pick up her calls. I have messages and missed calls in my phone I can show”
Reconciling with his father
In 2019, he said his father abandoned him when he was in class Two. His father only came to ask for his help to secure a job when he saw him on TV.
“I don’t have any problem with him since I don’t know why he separated with my mother and walked away. All is in the past now,” he said.
