By Prudence Minayo
The comedy industry in Kenya is becoming flooded with new talents who are making good use of social media platforms and YouTube. To stand out, comedians-like Sammy Kioko-are finding creative ways of engaging their followers to remain ever fresh.
For the uninitiated, Sammy Kioko is a Kenyan comedian with his own unique style of comedy. He came into the limelight after winning the “Ultimate Comic”, a comedy show in Kenya that welcomes thousands of people from different parts of the country who compete for the number one spot.
Ever since winning top comic, Kioko has gone on to be a household name and amass thousands of fans on his social media platforms.
Education
The Ultimate Comic winner is a graduate of KCA University where he did Bachelor of Education (Arts) in History and Swahili.
Background
Sammy was born in Mombasa but spent his early school days in Machakos before moving to Nairobi where he grew up and continued with his education.
Growing up, Kioko never thought of becoming a comedian but instead he harboured dreams of being a teacher. In high school he was actively involved in football and later on rugby. While he was still in high school, a new category was introduced in the drama festivals known as stand up comedy category. People in his high school put pressure on him until he finally decided to join. He came 1st in the county level and proceeded to the nationals where he emerged 2nd. This was how he got into the world of comedy.
Career
When he joined KCA University, he began representing the institution in comedy. He joined the university comedy competitions and went on to come second at the nationals. Sammy continued to nurture his comedy skills by performing and was to later join the State owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation where he continued to improve his skills.
In 2015, he unsuccessfully auditioned for the Churchill show. He went on to act set books, a job he did for about two years which helped him in many ways including stage presence and articulation.
One day they were scheduled to travel to Nakuru for a set book play but unfortunately they were called and told it had been cancelled. Instead of going back home, he decided to go and try out for the Ultimate Comic auditions which was being held at the Kenya National Theatre that same day. Out of more than a thousand people that showed up for the auditions, he was selected among the 36 that were chosen to join the competition. He was among the top three finalists along Oloo Daniel and Amos Kiptabut. The judges of the show were Felix ‘Jalang’o’ Odiwuor, Massawe Japanni and Tony Njuguna and it was hosted by Daniel Ndambuki Churchill and aired exclusively on Maisha Magic East.
Sammy was announced the winner and could not hide his excitement as he signed a one-year contract TV deal, won the 1 million cash prize and was led to the classy Tida that had been on display and handed over the key.
This was a very exciting moment for the comedian. He went on to perform on Churchill Show where he continuously bombarded the audience with a number of witty jokes.
His fans may know him for his great fashion sense which shouldn’t be a surprise as he is also a designer. Before fully getting into comedy, he used to buy shoes in Gikomba and sell them then he would buy himself blazers and match them with trousers. This was how his passion for design developed and today he designs and sells suits using his name which he has established as a brand.
Today, he also has a YouTube channel with over 100k subscribers and 80 videos. The channel is huge and has garnered huge attention. The content he creates on the channel is magnificent and watched by more than one hundred thousand people. In fact, it has about 5.6 million views.
Personal life
In a past interview with Radio Jambo he talked a bit about his family and how he used the Kes 1million Ultimate Comic cash prize money to better the life of his parents. He also revealed that his parents were no longer together since his mom left his dad because he was an alcoholic.
“ My dad did not have a home; he was a serial drunkard and used to sleep in very weird places. The first thing I did was to build him a house. I also opened a shop for my mother who was still struggling with her business. Then the remainder I paid for my school fees and now I am a teacher in History and Swahili,” he said.
In the interview, he also revealed he was in a relationship and trashed the rumors that he was married.
