Abel Mutua wept during a podcast interview as he described the last night he spent with his younger brother, Raphael Mbuvi Musyoka, known as Rapho.
He made the remarks on The Kisiangani Podcast. The clip has circulated widely on Instagram. It has revived conversation about a loss that shook Kenya's content creator community.
A student, and a family that chipped in
Rapho was studying at JKUAT. He was the last-born of eight children.
Six of the eight siblings had jobs. Each sent what they could, Abel said. One sent KSh 2,000. Another sent KSh 1,000.
"So at the end of the month huyu kijana alikuwa ako in the chedas."
Then Covid-19 hit and students stopped going to school.
"So him he just chills in the house..... akiboeka amacome anatuvisit... then tukaanza kuona visits zinapungua," he recalled.
In other words, Rapho stayed at home, visited when bored, and then the visits grew fewer.
'Something was off'
One afternoon in 2021, Rapho visited. Abel sat right opposite him.
After Rapho left, Abel asked the brother next to him in age if he had spoken to Rapho lately. That brother had looked into it.
"Hii time amebangaiza... hapa home manze wanapiga mihadarati" — Abel's brother, as recalled by Abel
Abel asked who. The answer:
"Na hawa maboy anastay nao."
Abel said Rapho battled addiction for about two years. The family sought professional help. They offered to take him back to rehabilitation and to help him find housing.
Cutting the funding
Abel said the family's biggest error was calling a meeting. The siblings then cut off his funding.
"Makosa big tulifanya ni kuitana kikao..." — Abel Mutua
Things then went downhill, he said.
"It was a downward spiral" — Abel Mutua
Rapho refused rehabilitation. The family had offered to take him back and to help him find housing. Abel said he went elsewhere for money.
"Si anajua ni janjez ...anajua ananeed hii doo alikuwa anajua hapa kwa familia imekataa...anaenda kwa random person..."
Appeal and backlash
Abel announced the death without giving a cause. He posted a photo of a police vehicle carrying the body.
He later shared an M-Pesa till number for burial costs. Some questioned the appeal. Others defended Abel.
Rapho was buried in Machakos County on 5 January 2024.
