Comedian who didn’t sleep on his talent

Harriet James @harriet86jim 

When David Ng’ang’a aka Sleepy David pursued a career in comedy, it didn’t come as a surprise to his family.

“Sleepy is the noisiest in our family, he’s always the life of the party,” begins his brother, Isaac Ng’anga.

Sleepy is the fourth born in a family of five brothers. Isaac is the last born. There is a two-year gap between them. Since childhood, by virtue of their birth order, they have always been close. 

“We did almost everything together, playing football for a local team, play station, acting in church, went camping… name it.

We have almost an identical voice/intonation and so as the brothers-keeper we are, he would talk to my girlfriend over the phone when I wasn’t around, and I would do the same to his girl without them telling our voices apart. He is a great big brother to me,” says Isaac.

Setting an example

Unknown to many, Sleepy was raised in a strict Christian family. Their parents are pastors at the Kenya Assemblies of God, Matunda.

However, Isaac attests that what has kept Sleepy and his siblings grounded are the values their parents instilled in them when growing up.

Isaac recalls how being ‘pastor’s children’ put a lot of pressure on them to always display good morals and be an example to the society. 

“Being a pastor’s child is stressful since people expect you to live in a certain way because of the responsibility your parents have.

They want you to be a role model to other children when you are still trying to find yourself and also want to experience life just like any other child,” he explains.

However, they would not have chosen any other family. “Struggles are a part of life.

That’s why I’m grateful for the family I’m blessed with because we’ve always had each other’s back, the good and bad,” he reveals.

They went to three primary schools; Silver Bells Academy, Matunda Primary and St Teresa Primary School, all in Matunda, Uasin Gishu, since their parents desired for them to have the best quality of education that they could have.

But in secondary school, they went to different schools: While Sleepy went to Vihiga Boys High School and Lodwar High School, Isaac went to Matunda Secondary School. 

Sleepy then joined Kenyatta University in 2012 to study s Film and Theater Arts, while Isaac went to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in 2013 to pursue Information Technology.

Isaac was the best master of ceremonies and hosted campus events, while Sleepy gained reputation for being one of the best comedians in his campus, a skill that he had honed throughout his life, hosting events in church and even in secondary school.  

He joined travelling theatre in 2013 and then Heart Strings in 2014 where he met the late comedian, Aiyeiya, who then inspired him into stand-up comedy.

During this period, he met Churchill, and like many others requested for a photo.

He later auditioned and got a chance to showcase his talent at Churchill Raw. After a few performances, he joined Churchill Show.

Growing by the day

“The show gave him an opportunity to explore his crazy thoughts, make mistakes and above all to discover his potential.

He is proud to have shared stage with Nigerian Basket Mouth, among others. He is forever grateful to Churchill,” says Isaac.

 Isaac, is a spoken word poet, a singer and a song writer who goes by the stage name Teller 254 due to the fact that he loves telling the Kenyan story through his work. 

“We’ve had diverse platforms and forums because we are in different industries, but I think growth is something you do every day and in different ways,” says Isaac

Isaac narrates that through his brother, he has learnt how to use his brand not just to entertain his audience, but also earn a living. He is lucky that he has a brother who is also his mentor in the industry. 

“Now I’m able to organise events for him and also my own gigs such as Juja Festival, Inside This Skull, Live After 5 at Garden City Mall, Safaricom Jazz Festival Activations, and Shining Stars (a show that airs every Friday at a local television).

Apart from that, I am grateful to him for helping me see things in different perspectives before investing my time, talents and resources in anything,” he says. 

Through the pandemic

An entrepreneur by nature, Sleepy teamed up witha friend to create a mobile phone gaming application dubbed, “Sleepy Awake” that charged 50 cents to play. Though currently unavailable, he is working on another invention that will soon be out.

Isaac is planning to release his music from next year and he hopes that  more youths will get to know God more through his art.

He also is putting his IT degree into use and has set up an IT company, Slim Technologies, which deals with system development, analysis and maintenance. 

Just like many other artistes, Covid-19 pandemic has affected the two brothers who rely on events and performance to earn a living.

However, Isaac is grateful that even during this pandemic when most artistes have been affected, light has shined on their way.

“We are grateful that during this pandemic, we recorded Shining Stars TV- show, so that’s what we’ve been up to. We have had a chance to build more talents on a national level.

I’ve also record a poetry album dabbed “I Am” during the pandemic. I have released four pieces. I will release the rest this month,” he says in conclusion.