If it wasn’t for the late Charles Bukeko’s intervention, actress Jacky Vike popularly known as Awinja from Papa Shirandula would have had a different life.
In an interview with George, a YouTube content creator that was shared on Monday, July 20, 2020, she explained how the deceased helped change her life.
She had auditioned for a different character in the show but Papa Shirandula offered her the role of Awinja, the househelp.
“I remember I told him ‘no, i'm not good with accents but I know someone who can bring out the Luhya accent really well’ and I went ahead and gave him my friend’s number,” Jacky wrote.
A month later, Bukeko insisted and asked her to believe in herself as much as he did. He challenged her to learn to seize opportunities.
In her first appearance on the show, she didn’t use a heavy accent and as the program went on she learned and perfected it to a point where she became a household name alongside her colleagues.
That propelled her to the limelight and she started making money from endorsements, live performances and event appearances.
Many Kenyans had come to know her as the househelp from the show and clients asked her to assume the same role in their engagements.
“My life changed because of that opportunity Bukeko gave me,” she praised.
Speaking about the death of the veteran actor, Jacky stated that she had made peace since she had learned to appreciate him while he was still alive.
“I am so much at peace because I always told him how grateful I always was, this has been said over and over but allow me to repeat this, tell people how you feel about them when they are still alive, it gives you so much peace knowing you told them how you love, cared or even thanked them when they were with us here,” she posted on Instagram.
“His last days, he was so happy, he brought people together and offered opportunities to so many people, the young and old in the industry,” she added.
