Kamba Benga artist Raphael Muasya alias Maninani Boyz breathed his last Sunday after being in the ICU for over a month.
Maninani last appeared in public on the 19th of August during an interview with a local TV Station and thereafter went missing. He was found in Machakos Level 5 ICU in critical condition with a serious head injury. Police from Kyumvi brought him there and said he was involved in an accident with his motorbike.
In the ICU, he was unable to talk or move until the final day when he talked and passed on at Machakos Level 5 Hospital.
Maninani was born and raised in Mbiuni, Mwala constituency in 1992 and was orphaned at a very early age. He went to school and dropped out of school in 2005 at class 5 to go and pursue his music passion. On coming to Mlolongo, he saw that playing guitar wasn’t that easy and he decided to return to school.
He went up to class 8 and dropped out of school as his guardian then – the grandmother could not afford to pay his Exam fees. He moved to Nairobi Kwa Njenga and was employed by artist Vuusya Uungu where he began laying the foundation for his musical journey.
Maninani later went to Thika where he met singer Mutemba and started playing the guitar for his band. In Thika, he also worked as a construction casual to make ends meet. He later joined Mbuani and started to learn the Solo guitar and train his vocals.
His life has not been without challenges, Maninani was arrested in January 2021 and remanded for allegedly marrying an underage girl. They had stayed together for over a year and a half until one moment when they had issues and the girl returned to her mother. The singer was called to the girl’s home and he found Nyumba kumi officers waiting for him and was arrested and taken to the police station.
The singer in a past interview said he forgave the wife and the mother and had said he will be taking time before marrying again. He also cautioned Kamba artists to be careful and ensure before they marry someone the person has ID Card.
In a past interview, he praised his elder sister Elizabeth Muthue for standing with him during the musical journey and even when he had been arrested. He also had a younger brother Nicodemus who was a guitarist.
He was bailed out by the sister who paid 110,000 and the case mentioning has still been ongoing. Thereafter, Artists from Ukambani and entertainers came to help him fundraise for his own Band in Mlolongo. The last mention was scheduled for 29th August and the singer could not attend as he was hospitalized.
