For most successful people, there is a story behind their rise to fame, Most have risen from grass to grace and others were fed on a silver platter.
For Machakos Governor, Alfred Mutua, his was an innovative way. The governor who is a staunch anti-corruption supporter revealed that he started a local film which rocked during those days.
“I started my own company at the age of 19 years; where I formed a company then left the country. When I came back I started Cobra Squad where the first series earned me Ksh25 million and the next film earned me Ksh11 million,” Dr Mutua said.
The show never disappointed, and many viewers were always hooked. Where people watch it in public places, the curiosity at the end of each episode was palpable as the audience was left hanging on the last note of suspense.
Cobra Squad was the name of the fictitious special unit of the Kenyan police mandated to “Track down, find and stop criminals,’’ using the latest techniques and cutting-edge technology.
The storyline featured four key officers (two male, two female), their boss and other supporting officers. The scenes were filmed in locations the audience could identify with and although English predominates, Kiswahili was interwoven throughout the episodes, as would be likely to happen in real-life police situations.
Some scenes like those shot in the Maasai Mara were deliberately chosen to capture the beauty of Kenya and promote the country as a tourist destination.
For a drama that involved such expensive props like helicopters, a lot of precision was required to keep costs down. This, Mutua said, involved a lot of training and practice.
“Hiring a chopper was expensive. We ensured that everything went like clockwork because we couldn't afford many takes on the camera as these could push the budget through the roof. ”
He added that he invested the money buying apartments in Nairobi and also owns an aviation company. Mutua further invested outside the country.
Mutua also revealed that he was building a five-star hotel in Machakos town which was financed by a loan.
