How a video shoot landed me in prison

Triple S, officially known as Stephen Spencer Otieno, is a Migori-based Ghipuka artiste. His stage name is an acronym for Stars Don’t Struggle to Shine, hence the triple S.

Despite making a name for himself in Migori, Triple S, has had his fair share of culture shock in Nairobi. “The dynamics of Nairobi themselves are crazy. I remember the first time I set foot in Nairobi I automatically though that from the Central Business District to all the estates, fare was fixed at Sh20. This was mainly because I had earlier heard touts shouting ‘Tao Mbao! Tao Mbao’,” he says.

With this in mind he later embarked on a journey from Umoja to town armed with his 20 bob, little did he know that this was during rush hour and the fares had skyrocketed to a hundred bob. “The confusion and harassment after I boarded the matatu was shocking but I ended up paying the full fare.”

“This was not the end of my epic showdown as we later entered a hotel to have a meal. I was shocked that ugali was served in tiny pieces and being new in the city I took half the ugali leaving my team members hungry. To say the least, I was warned to never repeat such ‘nonsense’ in Nairobi.”

Although now he is in the music scene stronger than before, he suffered a three-year hiatus when he went to prison. Reason being, fake money. “I was neither aware of the consequences nor the government protocols to follow for that matter. The script needed at least Sh200,000 which I didn’t have, so I produced photocopies,” he explains.

But he made it clear that all the monies were to be destroyed after the shoot.

 “Police arrived while we were shooting and arrested everyone. I don’t even know who snitched or how they got wind of it. I am the one who was jailed because I decided to carry the responsibility,’’ he added. He spent three years behind bars for possession and handling of fake money.