Mombasa residents who grew up in the 1980s and 90s, can recall how stand-up comedian Abdallah Moi would entertain revellers by imitating former President Daniel arap Moi’s distinctive raspy voice.

The Mombasa-based comedian whose real name is Basheck Abdallah says he earned a living by mimicking Moi.

Born and raised in Mombasa’s Old Town, the 56-year-old says he discovered comedy in his early days at Serani Primary School.

By imitating multiple voices and personalities, Abdallah increasingly became the source of laughter not only at home but also in school, streets, entertainment joints and even public functions.

“When I was a child, I was a very cheeky boy. Wherever I went, I would take my time to keenly observe different people and their behaviour.

You see the way you just look at things innocently then you later discover that you had picked something.

Later on when I go elsewhere, I would find myself repeating exactly what I saw and that’s how I found myself in comedy,” he says.

The comedian said it started as a hobby and but he later realised that it was a talent he could utilise and eke out a living.

Identical resemblance

He says it was his unique ability to imitate Moi’s voice virtually to identical resemblance that would earn himself the stage name Abdallah Moi, which  has become a house hold name in Mombasa todate.

But before he became Abdallah Moi, the comedian was first Abdallah Kenyatta as having perfectly executed the role of imitating founding father of the Nation, President Jomo Kenyatta’s voice in school drama.

The other comedian who earned a living mimicking Moi is Walter Nyambane alias Mong’are of the Redkyluss group alongside John Kiare, now the Dagoretti South MP.

His old friend Said Thabit describes him as comedian with gifted ability.

“His gift in mimicking voices and personalities especially of prominent people is out of this world. He could speak and act like an Arab and quickly switch to an Indian and then a Briton.

Nobody could match this unique ability. He was in his own league,” recalls Thabit who says they started acting together in school where Abdallah would mesmerise the entire school, including teachers, pupils and even parents with his style.

With the end of President Jomo Kenyatta’s era following his death in 1978 and subsequent transition to Moi’s 24 years regime, the comedian was poised to discover his real self.

As chance would have it, Abdallah had almost perfectly mastered the voice of Kenya’s longest serving president, thereby creating an opportunity for him to maximise the best of his ability and scale to greater heights of his career.

Political kingpin

Being a close friend to the then Coast political kingpin and former Mvita MP Sharrif Nassir, one of President Moi’s most trusted political allies, the gifted comedian would find access to State House where on several occasions he secured chances to entertain the former President.

“Since Sharrif introduced me to the late president, I can say I am proud to have entertained President Moi on various occasions. He really appreciated my style of entertainment,” he says.

 “ Mzee was a gentleman. Whenever you visit him he would always ask whether you have eaten before you entertain him.”

Real life opportunity

And then, perhaps could be his real life time opportunity, presented itself in the 1980s when the President  handed the artist Sh180,000 in cash.

“It was at State House Nakuru and he told me that was my soda. Uunfortunately, by then I was still young and foolish and so I rushed to 680 hotel and for once I became a first class tourist. I squandered all the cash,”Abadallah Moi reminisces.

 While in Nairobi he says he acted in the popular Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Vitimbi, Fedheha and Zingatia programmes.