Thompson Maghana, aka Oga Obinna, is a Kenyan comedian, YouTuber, musician, MC, and radio presenter.
He is known for his witty humor and ability to connect with audiences of all ages. He is also a brand ambassador for several companies, including USN Kenya.
Although Obinna has been in the entertainment industry for over a decade, his career shattered the glass ceiling in 2022 when he co-hosted the breakfast show at Kiss 100 alongside the vivacious Kamene Goro.
However, like many success stories, Obinna’s is one of ‘from rags to riches’.
From Nigeria to Maseno
In an interview on Jalang’o TV, the comedian revealed that he was born in Nigeria. His mother hails from the Igbo community, while his father, a gospel minister, is a luo.
The family relocated to Maseno during Obina’s childhood.
“I come from a Christian family. During my childhood, we used to do door-to-door preachings. I was baptized in November 2003,” Obinna revealed in the interview.
However, he did not see eye to eye with his father, who was a strict disciplinarian.
“Even when I served him tea, the cup would break because I was afraid of making a mistake,” said the Kula Kula show host.
In 2009, after several altercations with his father, Obinna dropped out of high school, sold his phone, and moved to Nairobi.
The harsh city life led him to Industrial area, where he worked as a tout, cleaner, and hotel waiter.
Through one of his friends, he joined the Eastleigh Educational Center, where he completed his high school education and sat for his KCSE.
“I dramatized set books at Eastleigh to get money for school fees,” he once revealed in an interview.
After high school, Obinna tried his hand at entrepreneurship, selling curtains.
Though his friends, he landed a job at Westlands as an office messenger, earning ksh 500 per day.
He was then promoted to storekeeper, earning ksh 10 000 per month. He used the money to rent his first house and buy a bed, a woofer, and a plastic chair that he still has to date.
He also enrolled for evening ICDL classes, but the school was unfortunately closed down.
“I had just paid school fees when the school was shut down. That was how I gave up on college,” he would later reveal.
He was fired from his job after falling for a “Wash Wash” scam, where he lost company funds.
“But I thank them for firing me, as I would probably be a sales guy to date,” says the comedian in retrospect.
Following his job loss, Obinna reverted to village life in Maseno. There, he engaged in farming, menial jobs, and selling fodder to dairy farmers.
After some time, village life became too dull and he returned to Nairobi.
His creative spirit led him to the Kenya National Theatre, where he met popular comedian and current Lang’ata legislator Jalang’o.
Radio Career
At KNT, Obinna performed dancehall music, going by the stage name Mjeezey. He then met Fred Omondi, Eric Omondi’s younger brother, who is also a comedian.
Fred introduced him to the world of music shows and club performances.
“I was mtu wa mkono for Fred Omondi,” Obinna laughingly revealed in the Bonga na Jalas interview.
Through Fred, he met other comedians like Chipukeezy, Eric Omondi, Otoyo, Papa Shirandula, Churchill, Kajairo, and others.
He was then hired by QFm, cohosting the nighttime show ‘Vuka na Style’ alongside Alibaba.
After a while, fate smiled at him and he landed another job at Easy FM, cohosting the ‘Homerun’ show alongside Brian and Cupid.
“The show was so popular that we were invited for performances in clubs and Universities all over Kenya.” said the self-branded ‘Father Abraham’.
One day, during a party hosted by Nation Media, Obinna performed so well that he was awarded a permanent contract by then Nation Media Group CEO Linus Gitahi.
“My salary was ksh 70 000 per month. I also started receiving brand endorsement deals.” Obinna would later say.
This enabled him to purchase his first car, a Nissan Blue Bird worth ksh 700 000.
In 2022, he joined Kiss FM, where he was the subject of several social media trends due to his unorthodox dressing style.
However, he quit the station after a year, when his contract came to an end.
Family
One of Oga Obinna’s nicknames is Father Abraham, and not without good reason.
The comedian has four children, all from different mothers. One of his baby mamas is Sherlyne Anyango, a popular vixen, and socialite.
Net Worth
Details of Obinna’s net worth are not within the public domain. However, the comedian owns a fleet of cars, including a ksh 5 million Volkswagen Toureg he gifted himself while celebrating his 33rd birthday earlier this year.
He also built a house for his parents in Maseno and bought his father a car. The comedian reportedly owns a mansion in Kisumu and is in the advanced stages of constructing his house in Nairobi.
