There is sad news out of Nairobi this Saturday morning.
Famous actor Charles Bukeko, best known as Papa Shirandula is dead.
The actor gained fame from his Thursday night comedy show on Citizen TV in the 2000s. He also gained international attention from his famous Coca Cola advert that was aired across the world.
The cause of his death is not clear, but there are reports that he passed at Karen hospital.
Background
Born in a humble family background in Buhalarire, Kakamega, Papa Shirandula’s rise to being a star has not been an easy one. It has been a tough journey that has seen him through ups and downs. He attended Jogoo Road Primary School and Upper Hill Secondary.
As the first child in a family of four, he had the responsibility to help his parents, Mrs. Valeria Makokha and Cosmas Wafula, in taking take care of his siblings.
Upon completing school he moved to Nairobi’s sprawling Eastland’s Uhuru estate, where he would often walk many kilometers to the Kenya National Theatre.
He later moved to Phoenix Theatre, where he met renowned actor Ian Mbugua, who introduced him to James Forkland who decided to train him for free on theatre basics for a period of three years.
Apart from the GOTV advert which he appeared on, Papa Shirandula has also been on big-time commercials across the world like Coca Cola in Indonesia and Vodacom in South Africa. The Coca-Cola advert was shot in 2001 and ended up being a bang years later.