Kenyan Man Who Lost Thriving Businesses During Pandemic Relocates To Qatar For Fresh Start

• Joseph Kathure was among the thousands of Kenyans whose businesses crumbled during the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020
• The development took him back to poverty, a scourge he had overcome after growing into a successful business with several shops in the CBD
• Seeking a fresh start, he relocated to Qatar to work as a baggage hall driver and has also rejuvenated his gospel music career

Joseph Kathure, aka Zziggyke, was born and raised in Nairobi, but his life changed when he lost both parents when he was in Class Three.

Luckily for him, his elder brother took over the reins of the family and educated him up to high school.

Zziggyke was successful businessman

From there, he started doing menial jobs and found his footing in entrepreneurship, becoming an astute businessman with shops in the Nairobi central business district.

With the business picking up, he channelled his energy into yet another passion he had discovered: gospel music.

"I did a couple of songs like Baraka Zangu, Take a Look, Pendo, and Panda Shuka which performed well at that time," he recalled.

Zziggyke's life seemed all figured out until the global pandemic struck, and everything crumbled as he watched.

Relocated to find peace

He could not believe he had lost almost everything he'd built over the years and was returning to the bottom.

Zziggyke says that the trying period nearly drove him into insanity, but he held on and figured he needed to rise again.

That is how he ended up looking for a job abroad and relocated to Qatar in July 2022, looking for a fresh start.

"I currently work at the airport as a baggage hall driver and have gone back to doing music," he continued.

Awakening Zziggyke

He revealed that he recently recorded his EP "Awakening Zziggyke" in Doha, but most of the songs are mastered and mixed by producers in East Africa.

Contrary to his business days when he could control his timings, Zziggyke has to strike a delicate balance between employment and music.

"It's hard since I operate under a stipulated schedule, but I try my best whenever I get time during my off days," he continued.

Due to his consistency, he has performed at different shows organized by international promoters and believes that better days are ahead.

Lady who lost 3 brothers becomes gospel singer in Qatar

In an almost similar story, Clare Vusha's family went through unexplainable grief after losing three brothers in close succession, the youngest aged just 11.

The heartbreak hit her parents hard, which made the empathetic daughter realize she needed to become a pillar of hope.

Despite residing in Qatar, a predominantly Islamic country, she ventured into gospel music and has become a household name.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke