Gospel artist Joseph Mutinda recently claimed that his friends have already set up WhatsApp groups to raise contributions for his funeral amid his protracted battle against a kidney infection.
For nearly a decade, Mutinda, a renowned gospel artist, graced concerts and adorned billboards countrywide after being signed as a brand ambassador.
The former TV star enjoyed a seamless integration into the vibrant world of music, enjoying coverage and topping trends.
Mutinda's most famous phrase is the 'Ni kama Drama, Ni kama Video, which was widely shared across platforms, earning him accolades and brand advertisement contracts.
One of the lucrative endorsement deals he landed was with a giant telco company, which secured his image rights as the face behind a campaign that ran between 2012 and 2015.
The artist, in an interview with Afrimax, in November this year, claimed to have earned way better than his competitors, especially after collaborating with Tanzanian hitmaker Rose Muhando in the song Zamu Yangu.
However, it was also during this time that he fell, but he assumed the symptoms, hoping they would fade away.
In 2015, Mutinda noticed a change in his skin colour, though he never suffered any alarming complications at the time. Nonetheless, he brushed it aside and focused on his life.
Six years later, in 2021, he fell ill, and this time, he was unable to go to the toilet for about a week, prompting him to seek medical attention at Kenyatta National Hospital.
“I got X-rays, and I was told my spinal cord is bad, kidneys have infections, my blood pressure is up, have been delivered in depression,” he narrated as he broke down into tears.
At this point, his whole foot was swollen, and he was forced to sell all his assets to save his health from deteriorating.
“My money is gone because of sickness. I had a farm which I just sold at a low price so that I could be treated,” Mutinda narrated.
He further claimed that his close allies turned their backs on him. Some even claimed that he was dead and those who pay him a visit occasionally remark how he will never rise again.
By the time of the video release, Mutinda was pleading with well-wishers to aid him in raising funds in his medical drive.
