The family of popular musician and pastor Vincent Onyango Ojwang’, popularly known as Vincent Senior, is struggling to come to terms with his death in a road accident—an unsettling turn of events for an artiste whose famous song reflects on the power of death.
Vincent Senior, who served under Kenya Outreach Tidings, died after his personal car was involved in a collision with a lorry. He reportedly died at the scene of the accident.
The irony of his death has drawn attention to his popular song “Kaburi ni Tajiri”, loosely translated as “The Grave is Rich”, which has a signature Ohangla sound and reflects on how death takes people regardless of their status or character.
In the song, the musician asks why the grave is never satisfied, while recalling the deaths of prominent figures from biblical times and modern history.
Among those referenced are Jesus Christ and figures such as Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. The song also pays tribute to musicians including Franco Makiadi, Pepe Kalle, Madilu System, Michael Jackson and Lucky Dube.
The late musician further mentions prominent Kenyan figures including Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Tom Mboya, Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, Michuki, former Cabinet Minister George Saitoti, as well as artistes Esir, Emachichi and Musa Juma.
Tanzania's founding President Julius Nyerere is also among the personalities referenced.
Released about seven years ago, the song has accumulated more than three million views on YouTube, resonating with listeners through its message that the grave takes both the good and the bad in society.
The song's central question—why the grave is never satisfied—has taken on a poignant meaning following the musician's death.
The family was encountered at the Machakos Level Five Hospital mortuary while they were making arrangements to transfer his body.
Pastor Sammy Lengironi, a friend of the deceased, called on the government to prioritise the expansion of the Mombasa Road into a dual carriageway to separate heavy trucks from other motorists and reduce the risk of fatal crashes.
