Vioja Mahakamani actors and actresses on Thursday, December 22, expressed their heartfelt sympathy following the death of one of their own, Gibson Gathu Mbugua.
Gathu who played the role of Vioja Mahakamani prosecutor, passed on at Mediheal hospital in Eldoret where he was receiving treatment after undergoing a kidney transplant.
Speaking about his last moments before meeting his death, actress Mary Kavere, famously known as Mama Kayai termed his death as a great shock.
Mama Kayai recounted that the late Gathu was recovering well from the treatment and had at some point been discharged from the hospital.
“He was actually recovering very well and that's why we are so shocked about his death.
"He stayed at home for three days but was taken back to the hospital after experiencing some complications,” she explained.
Mama Kayai noted that she received the sad news from fellow actor Julius Nyambegere alias Mogaka.
“I received a call from Mogaka asking whether I had received the news about Gathu’s death. I actually insulted him and disconnected the call,” she uttered.
The legendary actress tried reaching Lucy Wangui- Vioja mahakamani judge- through a phone call but her effort bore no fruits.
She later made a phone call to Nyuka Kwota famously known as Odiek who could not utter a word as he cried confirming to Mama Kayai that Gathu had passed on.
Before meeting his death, his colleagues were planning to have him transferred to a Nairobi hospital.
“For the whole of this week, we have been working on having him transferred to Nairobi from Eldoret,” mama Kayai revealed.
The Vioja Mahakamani family thanked KBC and other well-wishers for standing with Kiongozi wa Mashtaka during his illness.
Gathu had undergone surgery in August 2022, after battling Diabetes for approximately 20 years.
Recounting how he joined the famous show, the ‘judge’ revealed that the late Gathu joined the TV drama as a young boy.
“He joined us in 1975 together with Mzee Ojwang. He took the prosecutor role in the 80s as a young schoolboy and was never trained for it. It was an inborn talent for him,” Wangui noted.
The late actor was first treated for high blood pressure before being diagnosed with kidney complications which led to a transplant.
According to his colleagues, till his death, he was misjudged for being harsh, especially during rehearsals.
They however made it clear to the new actors who thought he was bad that he was doing so for their own good.
“They didn't understand that he was being tough to them as a way of shaping their acting skills,” they noted.
