That Mzee Ojwang’ Hatari is the father of Kenyan comedy should not be in doubt.

He entertained Kenyans for ages and that is why there was an outpouring of grief last week when the nation learnt of the demise of the legendary comedian who was popularly known by his stage name.

For close to four decades, Mzee Ojwang’ whose real name is Benson Wanjau, regaled millions with his humourous skits.

He had Kenyans in stitches as he brought colour to black and white television with Vioja Mahakamani and Vitimbi, the comedy shows that used to air on the State-run Voice of Kenya, and later Kenya Broadcasting Corporation channel.

By the time of his death, Ojwang’ who was 78, had already left the sets of both the situation comedy Vitimbi and the courtroom drama Vioja Mahakamani.

But his legacy lives on, and new, younger actors had stepped in to fill his large shoes, and those of his peers who had also stopped appearing in the shows.

Broadcast for the first time over thirty years ago the courtroom drama filled Kenyan homes with generous doses of mirth by mimicking real-life situations and focusing on civil and criminal law as ignorant miscreants defended themselves before a no-nonsense magistrate.

What Kenyans loved most about the outrageous prime-time comedy show were the quirky characters whose over-the-top mannerisms left them in peals of laughter.

Characters like Mzee Ojwang’, his TV wife Mama Kayai and Mzee Tamaa bin Tamaa — and later Olekisanda, Makhoha, Ondiek Nyuka-Kwota and Tobias Lijodi — always found themselves in the comical courtroom, before a stern magistrate who admonished them before sentencing them over various infractions.

REWRITE THE SCRIPT

As the sun sets for Mzee Ojwang’, a new dawn is rising for the show’s young actors who must carry on the legacy of the great man and his peers.

Jackie Lidubwi, the producer of the “new” Vioja Mahakamani says a shift in audience demographics drove the station to let Ojwang’s peers exit the stage, so the set-up could be refurbished.

“There has been a shift in our audience,” Jackie says.

“It is now a younger generation and people were asking why KBC had not changed in many years. That is how we got the idea to revamp Vioja.”

The show with Ojwang’s peers and proteges was taken off air late last year and producers went back to the story-lining board to work on the concept and re-write the script.

And on April 26 this year, Vioja Mahakamani was reborn.

The cast members of the old editions moved to KTN to launch a new show, Daktari, so they could continue giving Kenyans a new dose of laughter. The move by the State-run broadcaster to refurbish Vioja is now ever symbolic with the demise of Ojwang’. Jackie describes Mzee Ojwang’ as a Kenyan hero who will live on in our hearts. “The show must go on to keep Ojwang’s legacy alive,” she says. “He was very passionate about encouraging young actors and we cannot let him down.

“We must continue to build on his legacy by mentoring young actors and striving to make Vioja the best, and not giving up.”

She says Mzee Ojwang’ is synonymous with Vioja Mahakamani, and Kenyans cannot mention one without remembering the other. Since his death, KBC has been broadcasting tribute shows to celebrate his life. “Ojwang’ belongs to Kenyans. He is our hero,” says Jackie.

The new cast includes Dr Ofweneke, gospel artiste David Alliwah, Michael Okal, and Nice Githinji among others. There are some changes and it has also adopted a new soundtrack and the script has also shifted from Kiswahili to English, in order to cater to its cosmopolitan audience.

ONE GENERATION

“It is difficult to compare the new cast with the previous one,” says Jackie. “We cannot say that the old cast is better or that the new cast is better. They are both are very talented.”

The new Vioja has a modern courtroom with computers and one of the actors is a selfie-snapping Maasai who rarely appears on the set without his Tablet.

This is totally different from pre-2015 Vioja in which the traditional Maasai character, Olekisanda Josphat, always carried a traditional rungu. The producers saw it fit to upgrade the beloved Maasai character and keep him relevant in the digital age.

Jackie explains that as we progress from one generation to the next, television must do what it can to embrace change and be a carrier of newer technologies.

“Vioja has been passed on from one generation to another,” she says. “Just as it was passed on from the likes of Ojwang’, Mzee Tamaa bin Tamaa to Makhoha, Olekisanda and company. This is a new generation that we are catering to.”

Alliwah, who plays the prosecutor in the new Vioja, says Kenyans can learn a lot from the late Ojwang’.

“We can all learn from our fallen hero how to be passionate about what we do,” he says. “Ojwang’ had a burning passion for the arts as he pursued his love for acting.”

Alliwah shares a common passion with Ojwang’ of encouraging young talent and mentoring artistes to attain their full potential. He runs a group called Theatrix Arts Ensemble which he founded in 2004. It mentors young artistes and encourages them to focus on their professions.

“Ojwang’ was the face of persistence and resilience,” Alliwah says, adding that he was a freedom fighter for the arts.

He hopes that Ojwang’s death will make the government see the need for supporting the arts.

As for his role as the prosecutor, Alliwah says it requires him to do two things: ensure that decorum is maintained in the courtroom and also supply comic relief.

Even though he is humbled to be a part of Ojwang’s legacy, he admits he feels intimidated that he has to fill in the shoes of such talented actors. “We do our best inject the same energy, enthusiasm and comedy as those before us did,” he says. “They had the courage to bring comedy to Kenyans and it is because of them that we have this platform”

He is not shy to say that their show has received mixed reactions, and at first the fans of the previous cast were asking where their beloved characters had disappeared to.

“They would ask us where we had taken Makhoha and Olekisanda but that was expected because they had been with us for so long,” says Jackie, who adds that the show was also hit by by bad publicity.

However, with time, people have embraced the new Vioja. “In our recent audience review, only one viewer asked where Makhoha was,” she says. “That was surprising.”

 Alliwah says the greatest challenge was proving themselves to the audience and selling to them the idea of a re-branded Vioja. Then, there was the issue of the coordinating the schedules of the new actors.

“The new cast members had different schedules, but we have now found a balance and we are working well,” says Jackie.

“Because of the initial problems, many in the industry thought we would fail,” Alliwah says, “but but we are doing well because we are sure of our goals and we believe in the idea.”

As the end of the first season of the show nears, cast and crew are thinking of making more changes in the second season, with the aim of entertaining Kenyans and of course keeping the spirit of Mzee Ojwang’ alive in the hearts and minds of Kenyans.