To Kenyans, it might look as if he is clout chasing, but comedian Eric Omondi says he is actually ‘paper’ chasing.
For the better part of Tuesday, Omondi was number one trending on Twitter, and no, he did not chain himself to the gates of Parliament to demand media houses air more local content, or get sucked into fights between the cast of his online show Wife Material. This time around, it is because of his new female character, Divalicious.
Divalicious can be described as a budding socialite, a go-getter who is not afraid to do what it takes to be successful.
She is tall, slender, and what one would call pretty. A video capturing Divalicious in a bodysuit dancing to American singer Beyoncé’s hit “Single Ladies” is what has tongues wagging.
The less than three-minute video captures Omondi with two other women, shaking their behinds to the beat, showing off their perky ‘assets’.
This new persona has left Kenyans puzzled. For instance, comedian MC Jessy commented: “HaiiiiYaaaaahhhhh…!!! Kunaendaje tena Omosh … (with laughing emojis) Nimefika tu hivi South Imenti Kurudi Nayo mambo wamefika hapa. (What’s going on, Omondi? I left for South Imenti and on coming back, I found this).”
Singer Nadia Mukami wrote: “Rupaul’s drag race … Category is … Bring back my girls!”
Sauti Sol band member Bien Aime said: “Comedy hahahahahaha.”
Rapper King Kaka said, “Hii dunia Kama hauna bundles uko dunia ingine, weuh! (If one does not have data bundles, they miss out on a lot).”
Also Read: Rise of bizarre stunts for the sake of fame
In spite of the concerns from his colleagues, Omondi maintains he has not gone crazy, explaining that the video was an advert for which he has been paid Sh7.2 million for a three-year contract.
“In September, Divalicious will be launched as the official brand ambassador for Nara Luxury Africa. If you look at the caption I placed alongside the video, it is not only Divalicious who has been contracted, but also Eric Omondi, who will be the host of the event, meaning the company is paying Omondi and Divalicious separately. As everyone is giving their opinions about me, I am making money,” Omondi says.
“Divalicious is a 21-year-old who has arrived in the city from Kisumu and she is already creating a buzz. There is nothing in my career that I have done which is ordinary, everything I do is extraordinary. If I want to act as an Indian that is what I do and I will be in full make-up and costume. The issue that people have is that I am able to completely transform myself and look very good as a woman,” he says.
Controversial career
For the past 11 years, Omondi’s career has been controversial, and this, he says, has been intentional.
“The guys I started with back in 2008 most of them are no longer relevant. Why is it that up to now people are still talking about me? They should come and learn from me. I am just moving with the times,” he explains.
He is a conversation maker, he says. “I am a comedian and I am not gay. And what I am doing is called an act, people should stop getting confused,” he said.
But is it just entertainment or something else entirely? To understand the confusion among many of his fans, let us go back to where her first courted controversy.
In 2018, Omondi got into trouble after a video in which he was captured swimming naked with children was leaked online.
In the video – which has since been taken down – a naked Omondi, while trying to cover his private parts with his hands, can be heard encouraging the children to keep swimming.
This attracted outrage from Kenyans. He later apologised, saying, “I have been a comedian all my life… Many are the times that I have erred … Today was one of those days. I have offended so many. I did not in any way intend to offend anyone.”
His name was back in the headlines after the mother of his son, journalist Jacque Maribe, accused him of being a deadbeat dad.
Omondi’s response was to demand a DNA test to check if he was the child’s biological father.
Maribe and Omondi later reconciled.
But that was not the end of his troubles. Since the premier of his controversial online show Wife Material, Omondi has had many run-ins with Music Copyright Society of Kenya CEO Ezekiel Mutua. At the time, Dr Mutua, who was CEO of the Kenya Films and Classification Board, claimed that young women were being taken advantage of at Omondi’s studios in Lavington, Nairobi.
The spat between the two over the show saw the comedian arrested in March 2021 for sharing unauthorised content on his social media pages.
“In the business of entertainment, being talked about and visibility equals money, whether negative or positive. That is why I have been telling musicians and entertainers in Kenya that they are very boring and predictable. Omondi is very versatile, if you do not grow and change you will die career-wise,” Omondi said. BY DAILY NATION