Editor's Review

Mariru hitmaker Albert Gacheru has died at the Kenyatta National Hospital following a long illness.

Renowned Kikuyu benga musician Albert Gacheru has passed on at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where he was undergoing treatment.

Vernacular radio station Kameme FM was first to report on the untimely demise of the musician on Tuesday, April 6, 2020.

Gacheru is reported to have succumbed after a long illness.

File image of Albert Gacheru. |Photo| Courtesy|

He rose to fame in the 1990s with his hit single Mwenda wakwa marirũ.  Part of the song's lyrics stated that people often appreciated their loved ones more after they had died more than when they were alive.

Some of his popular hits include; Mumunya, Hurry Hurry Waithera, Nindaguteire, Indo ciakwa among others.

Gacheru's fame grew beyond the country's borders with some of his hits being played on international media like Voice of America.

At the age of 50, Gacheru enrolled himself at the Mount Kenya University to study law with an intention to stem piracy in music. He graduated and was admitted to the Kenya School of Law in 2016.

“I realised that this country has enough laws but few people, even those in business, understand the laws that relate to their businesses. I want to bring about a change in the laws governing copyright and social-economic affairs of the country,”  He had said in a past interview.

It is yet to be established as to whether he got to practice law.