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With the existence of social media, everyone has an equal chance of rising to stardom. Creatives are now coming up with unique content that within time develops to become their signature. Meshack Kiprop Biwott aka Arap Uria, 26, has carved a niche for himself by doing videos of himself imitating the celebrated English football commentator Peter Drury and local politicians.

Just recently, a video went viral showing the poetic and figurative English commentator recognising Uria’s creativity in impersonating him and also saying that he would wish to meet him personally in future. It was a big surprise for Uria, as he reveals that he never knew that Drury would one day recognise his art.

“I was so surprised; I almost fainted. I knew that it (the mimicking videos) would one day reach him, but I never thought that he could recognise my efforts. I got the (Drury’s) video from one of the premier league producers called Gerard who had invited me for a Zoom interview at Supersport Football,” he tells Spice.

Not easy road

The firstborn in a family of eight says his dream was to be a journalist, but due to pressure from his parents, he had to pursue a Bachelor of Education at Masinde Muliro University. The imitation of Drury, Uria says, never comes easy as he usually takes a whole night to rehearse the lip-syncing.

“Lip-syncing has been a difficult thing to do since I have to memorise the lines the whole night before shooting the next day. We are a team of two, that is my producer and me. I also make sure that I follow soccer matches keenly, especially the commentary done by Drury and this makes me grow my mastery of this art,” he says.

Over the years, the English commentator has won the hearts of many football fans in Kenya, thanks to the captivating and decorated Queen’s language that he employs during his match commentaries. Many of his fans have been wondering whether the 55-year-old ever scripts his live TV lines. But in an interview with K24 TV in 2020, Drury said the words come from instincts.

“Once a game kicks off, you can’t write what’s going to happen, you simply have to react to what does happen. You have to go with the flow and trust in your instincts. There is a danger in trying to script a moment because the chances are that the moments you script won’t dovetail with what occurs and you’re gonna end up looking silly,” he said.

Arap Uria says that he started comedy by impersonating political leaders, but he later noticed that some of his fans were taking it personally as he could receive unending backlash from them in the comment section. As a creative, he had to switch to football and he found fulfilment in impersonating Drury.

“I noticed that impersonating political leaders was not a neutral ground for my audience due to people’s political differences. I had to look for a neutral ground and I found what I love the most and that was football and impersonating Drury who is my favourite football commentator. Football as a sport is a game that brings people together without consideration of their age, gender, race or class, so I saw it as something that would impress my fans,” he intimates, adding that he learned that he could do comedy after completing his university studies in 2019, but he recalls being an entertainer from way back in Sunday School when he was still in lower primary school.

Grandma’s inspiration

While on set, the father of one is renowned for donning an antique and baggy coat, shading his beards white, a cowboy’s hat and cups on his ears to resemble headphones. He also holds a sieve or metallic heater in his hand as a microphone. He says that this craft was inspired by his late grandfather whom he inherited most of the attire from. He adds that his attires are just to spice up the comedy.

Arap Uria describes social media as a big breakthrough for the content creators who were initially jobless including him. As a firstborn in his family and a dad, he had to look for a way to feed the mouths that depended on him, but his initial daily small jobs could not cater for all that.

“The revenue we earn from content creation has improved our lives. I commercialise it to make money through advertising and brand endorsement. I also emcee at weddings and pre-weddings,” he says.

A staunch fan of English football club Chelsea, Uria says his wish is to visit the UK and watch the English Premier League live in the stadiums, and also meet Drury. He is also a firm believer that everything is possible as long as you put in the hard work, saying the inspiration is what keeps him going.

He offers in conclusion, “To whomever that wants to get into the creative industry, you need to be unique, creative, put in hard work and God will not let you down. You have to trust in what you do and never give up no matter what.”