Gidi Gidi: Moi offered us Sh10 million to corrupt ‘Unbwogable’
Radio presenter and singer Joseph Ogidi alias Gidi Gidi, one half of the Gidi Gidi Maji Maji group, has opened up about how state agents reportedly offered them Sh10 million to corrupt the lyrics of their hit song Unbwogable two decades ago.
Gidi shared the tale with comedian Daniel Ndambuki alias Churchill on the weekly Churchill Live Show on NTV.
Ogidi, who hosts a show on Radio Jambo, teamed up with Julius Owino aka Maji Maji to release a couple of hit songs, including Unbwogable, Atoti, and Many Faces back in the day.
With lyrics such as Get the hell out of my face because, hey, I am unbwogable, I am unbeatable, I am un-suable, So if you like my song sing it for me I say..., Unbwogable undoubtedly stole the show in the year 2,000 and was rated as among the most popular songs in the country.
It led to opposition alliance Narc politicians Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga, Charity Ngilu and George Saitoti adopting it as their campaign anthem in the run-up to the 2002 general election.
This development reportedly made then President Daniel arap Moi uncomfortable even as he drummed up support for Uhuru Kenyatta to succeed him, and he reportedly reached out to the budding artistes.
“I did not write that song for political gain. I was singing it to challenge myself as I was going through several challenges at the time,” Ogidi recalled.
“But it became a hit and politicians ran away with it. (Opposition party) Narc paid us Sh800,000 to use the song. One day two men approached me and Maji, they introduced themselves as people from State House. They asked us to go and sing another song with a version that praises Kanu, in exchange for Sh10 million. We consulted my Uncle and he advised us to decline the offer,” he said.
Born in Dandora, Nairobi in a family of ten, including three sets of twins, Ogidi also explained how a broker whom he did not name, managed to convince the late Vice President George Saitoti to part with Sh3 million as a ‘thank you’ for the artists under the premise that the track Atoti was designed to praise the then powerful politician, only for the broker to deliver a paltry Sh50,000 to the musicians.
Gidi and Maji have grown apart over the years with each pursuing a separate radio career, with Maji now heading Ghetto Radio fm.