Saturday, June 13, 2026 - Veteran actress Mary Kavere, fondly known as Mama Kayai, has taken Kenyans down memory lane by reflecting on her iconic partnership with the late actor Benson Wanjau, better remembered as Mzee Ojwang.
Speaking during an interview with Milele FM host, Jacquey
Nyaminde, alias Wilbroda, on Saturday, June 13th, 2026, Mama Kayai
revisited the golden era of Kenyan television, recalling how their performances
in classics like Vitimbi and Vioja Mahakamani blurred the line
between fiction and reality.
“People used to think we were actually husband and wife
because of how we acted,” she laughed.
“But it was just good storytelling. We were simply doing our
work.”
She explained that their chemistry worked because of
relatable family and community stories that resonated across generations.
Mama Kayai described the early days of local comedy as raw
and experimental, with actors learning on the job and building characters that
would later define Kenyan entertainment.
“It was not about fame then. We were just happy to be on
TV,” she said.
Her breakthrough came during this pioneering period, where
she teamed up with Mzee Ojwang to form one of the most memorable duos in Kenyan
television history.
She praised him as calm, disciplined and naturally gifted.
“Mzee Ojwang was very easy to work with. He made everything
simple. You just come on set and the scene flows,” she recalled.
Even years after his passing, Mama Kayai noted, his legacy
remains deeply embedded in Kenya’s cultural memory, especially through Vitimbi.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
0 Comments