Blessing Lung'aho has grown to become one of the household names in Kenya's entertainment industry.
He was born in Uasin Gishu County and attended Kakamega High School before joining the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) where he attained a degree in Commerce with a major in accountancy.
Lung'aho has appeared on a few local and international TV commercials. He has featured in several local television shows in Kenya like Maria, Zora, Mother in Law and PREM among others.
File image of actor Blessing Lung'aho. |Photo| Courtesy|
Read More
The trained accountant's journey is quite interesting. During an interview with Nation, the actor revealed that his career in acting was kickstarted by a stranger.
"I met a guy called Guta on the streets, and he walked up to me and told me that he was casting for a commercial and he thought I would be perfect for the role. (Refused to say which commercial was).
"At first I thought this guy was one of the many con men on our streets so I brushed him off but he gave me his business card and asked me to think about it and give him a call," Lung'aho narrated.
"I shared the encounter with my friends and colleagues at work, one of them told me he knew who the guy was and encouraged me to call him. So I finally called him and he invites me for an audition and I get picked. I get told of how much I’ll be paid and that changes my life, there and then!" He added.
His big break at a time he got to audition for five jobs; three commercials and two TV shows. He had invested in perfecting his acting, and had even gotten himself a tutor, and was confident he would get picked for the roles.
"I remember calling my dad to tell him the good news about my auditions. But he was driving at the time and promised to call me back. I remember it was on a Thursday. Come Friday, no calls from the casting guys. No call from my dad. Saturday nothing. Then on Sunday, an aunt calls me and tells me that my dad passed on.
"About an hour later my phone starts ringing. It was a casting director asking for my measurements, I had been picked for the role! That day I got all the five jobs. That’s when my career began – on the worst possible day for me. I think my dad got up there and told God “take care of my guy"," he narrated.
Lung'aho has since grown to become a mainstay in Kenya's film industry.
On an international scale, he has featured in commercial ads and recently was part of the cast of a movie shot in Rome, Italy.
He has met famous Hollywood actors in the course of his exploits.
Lung'aho identifies Kenyan actor Alan Oyugi as the guy he looks up to.
"He’s the guy I want to act as. He is the most natural actor I’ve ever seen. If Alan was standing over here acting you wouldn’t know. You’d just think he was having a conversation with people. He is by far my best actor," he said.
In Maria, Lung'aho plays the role of Mejja, the house manager of the Hausa home where workers spend most of their time gossiping instead of working. He portrays a tough demeanour and is strict.
In Zora, he plays Madiba.
