Majirani: From stardom to working as a “Mjengo” labourer in Canada and Doha.

Majirani, a well-known music icon who chose to work as a mjengo man abroad, referring to the ‘kazi ni kazi’ slogan.

The former recording artist and music star, has a tale to share. The artist made the decision to stop making music money and search for well-paid work elsewhere. His life’s journey is extremely inspiring.

If you were a genge music fan at the time, you should have tasted his records’ affection. Under the renowned label Grandpa Records, Majirani—his stage name—released a number of popular songs. He was quite an accomplished mcee.

The songs “Hivyo ndio kunaendanga” and “Tukumbukeko,” which went viral on the internet and became hit songs across all of east Africa, are among the tracks Majirani has released.

What happened to Majirani?

Majirani was enjoying his stardom during his time at Grandpa Record before everything turned sour. It was at that point that the label went bankrupt, forcing several artists, including DNA, to leave. Obviously, when such significant personalities leave, it instantly becomes a demise of a running business.

Rafigah, the studios’ president, would occasionally have issues managing the label, prompting Majirani, V-sita, and Kenrazy to leave as well.

Working as a solo artist became tough for Majirani, prompting him to seek other opportunities and pursue music on a part-time basis. This is when Majirani moved to Eldoret to try his luck as a football academy coach, but he was unsuccessful. And ended up working in construction sites.

He was later signed by a recording label, with whom he allegedly signed a counterfeit contract. Through the new label, he was able to record a song called ‘Chebukati’ with Sailors. However, the track was pulled from YouTube due to copyright infringement.

His journey to working outside the country.

A colleague offered him a job in Canada while he was working as a’mjengo fundi’ in Kenya. He swiftly obtained the necessary paperwork and decided to leave the country. According to him, the task was not like his regular construction work. But, because it was paying well, the Artist couldn’t give it up.

After a few years, he relocated to Qatar in search of a well-paying Mjengo job. A job he dubbed “Kazi ni Kazi.”

“Kazi ya mjengo ni poa sana, Kwanza kama mtu anafanya outside the country, where wanalipwa per hours,” said Majirani on an interview.

The music star returned to the country recently and seems to be working for a comeback in the music industry soon.

My question is, do you believe he should keep working as a construction worker after two failed music attempts?