Ayub Ogada obit

Legendary musician Ayub Ogada dies at 63

He was not on the list.

Legendary musician Ayub Ogada, real name Job Seda, died on Friday night at the age of 63.

His wife Yvonne Seda confirmed that he had been unwell.

He died at home. The family found him unresponsive on a chair in the sitting room. His body was later taken to Star Mortuary in Kisumu.

Ogada favoured the Nyatiti, a Luo string instrument, in most of his songs.

Kisumu musician Suzanna Owiyo eulogised Ogada on her Twitter account saying: "Ayub Ogada, respect wuod luo. You are the reason I picked Nyatiti. Thank you for sharing this fantastic 8 strings instrument with the world. I celebrate you! Rest in Power."

Ayub Ogada was born in 1956 in Mombasa to musician parents. Travelling with his parents exposed him to both Western and African cultures, which have influenced his music.

Ayub is known for his song “Kothbiro” and others such as “Dicholo”, “Obiero” and “Ondiek”. He incorporated nature sounds, the Nyatiti and his mellow voice in his music.

Ayub’s music is on the soundtracks of some films and television series, and in the 1980s he also acted in a few films. Ayub’s music is on the soundtracks of films such as I Dreamed of Africa (2000), The Constant Gardener (2005), Samsara (2011) and The Good Lie (2014). His music was also used in the soundtrack for Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman’s BBC series' Long Way Round and Long Way Down as well as NBC's short-lived action drama series, The Philanthropist.

Ayub has also acted under his birth name, Job Seda. He played Robert Redford’s Masaii warrior sidekick in Out of Africa (1985) and also starred in The Kitchen Toto (1987).