At the height of his musical career, Stanley Njoroge, popularly known in the gospel music industry as Kamúrigo (parcel), faced a bizarre but eye-opening incident that changed his view of life.
He had been unwell and was hospitalised at the time. And fellow musicians, who he had always believed were godly, shocked him when he found out that they had fundraised for his ‘burial’ yet he was still alive. They had wished him dead, Mr Njoroge explains.
It was around 2007, “when they faked my death and fundraised. All those who were in it, May our faithful God have mercy on you,” he told Nation Life&Style.
“They fundraised hundreds of thousands using my non-existent death. I have since forgiven them and I have learnt my lesson. I today look upon God and my family members plus the few genuine friends for mental strength.”
Gospel artiste Stanley Njoroge, popularly known as Kamurigo.
When he was sick and in hospital, rumours had emerged that he had backtracked from his Christian faith. Word was that he had become stressed after his wife deserted him and flew to America with another man. And to help his mind cope with the situation, he had become an alcoholic that turned fatal. But this, according to Mr Njoroge, were just rumours.
“I was downcast and I wondered where we were as an industry. But I pooled my willpower to accept that this was a world of the good and the bad, and both are to be experienced by man,” he says.
Mr Njoroge says the experience made him wiser and helped him “to appreciate that we might be in the gospel industry together but living in the devil’s paradise at the same time.”
“Let us live strictly by the calling of our Lord and carry ourselves as the light to illuminate what is godly in the way we conduct ourselves.”
Mr Njoroge came into the Mt Kenya region gospel scene with a bang, with the release of his single Kamúrigo in 1995. The song talks about how God can free a sinful soul of the parcel of sins and make him free by love.
The song became popular and made him a household name. Following the song’s success, he released 11 more singles in the same year.
“Everything was going well with me—being identified as a fast rising star and my music topping the central region charts. The run was good for 10 years… [Until] I suffered a stroke,” he said.
Mr Njoroge says he fell in the bathroom and this marked the start of his stay in hospital.
“I was admitted at Nakuru Level Five, Mater and Kenyatta National hospitals before I was airlifted to Germany for specialised treatment,” he says.
He lost his eyesight and speech, and late his memory.
Several surgeries while in Germany saw him partially regain his sight, then his memory and speech.
“For five years I was in a wheelchair. There followed endless journeys to hospital for therapy and today, though not fully recovered, I am fairly well,” he adds.
Mr Njoroge is married and has three children.
He still sings and his main income comes from his music. He made a comeback in 2020 with his song Fare. Other tracks to his credit are Jesu my brother, Etererai, Kíroto, Elisha, Tonya Tonya maí-iní, Jerusalem, Cokanírírai, Nuhu, Meri ya Míhang’o, Oya Kíbarí and Túng’aurú. BY DAILY NATION
