David Mathenge remembers the beginning precisely – every frame crisp in his mind, every moment etched into memory like the chorus of one of his greatest hits, ‘Ninanoki.’The story of the musician best known as Nameless, or Monski to those close to him, starts in 1997 at the University of Nairobi. A student of architecture, he had just discovered his voice, slipping between classes to practice whenever he could.
One night, the lanky student with a trademark durag and a tight black shiny leather coat stepped onto stage and let his voice reign.
In the audience sat young Wahu Kagwi, a Mathematics student and backup vocalist for a band. She watched, weighed his talent, and after the show walked up to him with a quiet thumbs-up.
Nameless vividly remembers that night.“It was instant chemistry that day. I thought she was a really nice person. We talked for a lengthy period that day,” he recalls.
Nearly three decades later, the 49-year-old father of three daughters looks at his 27-year bond with Wahu, and sees a landscape transformed by time. Some things have gracefully evolved, others have grown complicated, but he holds on to the simplicity he wishes the world would keep.“Dating back then was very simple. In our case, we were on campus, we didn’t have a lot of money, so we would go on walks for our dates. We did so many romantic walks, especially on Sundays, when the town was less congested. Once in a while, we would save some money and go camping in Naivasha, which is why Naivasha always has a special place in our hearts,” he says.
After all these years together, Nameless admits their love has changed in shape.“We dated for seven years before we got married, and it was a beautiful moment because we were both growing, trying to understand ourselves. The first two years of dating were amazing because I couldn’t stay without seeing her. We were always together. By the third year, I started feeling like I could do less without seeing her that often, but she never wanted that space,” he explains.“So, our love changed from being that intense to being good friends, to this very day. We no longer have that pressure of romance because we now both understand how to show each other love. We still go for our romantic walks, and we have actually grown fond of them. In the beginning, we did the walks because we didn’t have money to spend on dates, but now we do them because it’s a moment of reconnection that we have come to appreciate over time.”By the time Nameless completed his undergraduate degree, the Kenyan music scene had embraced him. His debut hit, Megarider, in 1999 put him in the limelight.“My wife’s music career also blew up, immediately after university, and now we began learning the real world — real adulting. At this time, we were also employed, and the music we were doing was just for fun. We hadn’t given music a serious thought because, at the time, there wasn’t any success story of any musician, so how could you convince your folks that you wanted to pursue music as a career?”For two years, both juggled 9-5 jobs and doing shows for free, collecting memories instead of money.“It’s during this period that we started toying with the idea of getting married. Honestly, we were never so sure if we wanted to get married because, at this point, we had had a few weird moments – a few breakups, so to speak. Then one day I proposed to her in her sister’s kitchen. Then we got married on September 10, 2005, in Naivasha.”Their union became the stuff of headlines, gracing one of the leading Kenyan newspapers’ front pages. The spectacular African-themed celebration on Lake Naivasha’s shores drew the era’s brightest stars, including singers Nazizi Hirji and Kevin Wyre, and the comedy ensemble Reddykyulass. The lavish traditional ceremony reportedly cost Ksh1 million ($7,736), a lavish figure at the time.“Was one million too much? It could have been less or more. I honestly can’t remember how much we put into it because, being the lastborns, we received so much love and support from our families. They were the wedding committee, and because each of them was happy to see us getting married, many went out of their way to make it a great day, and I bet you, not a single thing went wrong that day. Everything was perfect. I was particularly impressed with the after-party, just watching how people got to enjoy themselves. It was a beautiful night.” Nameless says there is no secret formula to a durable marriage.“There are no secrets in how we have been able to sustain our marriage for all these years. For me, it has been a journey of continuous learning and wanting the best for my partner. That has been our basis, which has really helped us go through the ups and downs in our marriage,” he explains.“We also have a very strong mindset for growth, we are always ready to accept our wrongs and weaknesses and try to find ways of resolving them. Wanting to be better has really been important for us. Being able to introspect does help a great deal in any relationship.“Initially, we would go for counselling and blame each other for causing the rift. The fact that many say they look up to us keeps us going — it gives our marriage more purpose. Because, with purpose, it’s no longer about you but others and also being sure it’s not pressure but a purpose of encouragement to many others, and so we draw strength from that to make sure we make our relationship work and be a good example.”That introspection deepened when the children arrived. Nameless says parenting intensified their commitment to self-reflection. Eighteen years of raising daughters have revealed unexpected mentors in their own children.“Children do watch what you do, how you are handling yourself, and it does reflect in them. We have learnt never to ignore or dismiss our children, especially when they challenge us on certain aspects of life, so being able to learn from our children, especially our eldest daughter, has been an added value,” he says.
Fatherhood fundamentally rewired his priorities and world view.“Having children gave me a new purpose in life. Before, I was living for just Monski — my happiness and fame — but now, I think so much more about my children. This is why I got so deep into understanding emotional intelligence, because our goal is to raise balanced children, virtuous, productive and with full purpose.”Being a father to three girls also gave him a chance to go against the African cultural grain.“I have never felt pressure because I don’t have a male child. Because I understand this was a cultural narrative that is outdated, and by being a father to just girls, it presented me with an opportunity to challenge the African traditions, beliefs and perception about children.“It’s never about the gender, but how you bring up a child and the values you instil in them. With my journey as a father of just girls, I am glad that I get so many messages from people who say how much I have validated their choices against the cultural expectations.”His music journey has been steady. In 2002, during his final year at university, he released Ninanoki, a follow-up to the tidal wave that Megarider had stirred. The track would redefine his trajectory and introduce the country to a fresh voice, Amani, on the chorus, who now also sits among Kenyan musical legends.
If Megarider had erected a pedestal, Ninanoki constructed an empire. Corporate Kenya awakened to Nameless’s potential, regional borders dissolved, and the era of free performances gave way to lucrative contracts.”For my first ever paid show, I received Ksh7,000 ($54), and that is when even my parents realised maybe they should let me do music. Ninanoki was so huge in the region, and for the first time, I began receiving invites to perform outside the country. I toured Uganda and Tanzania.”By then, Nameless had joined Ogopa Deejays, the record powerhouse founded by brothers Francis and Lukas Bikedo. Lukas had returned from overseas studies with the rare gift of shaping sound like sculptors shape stone.
Ogopa quickly became the gold standard in Kenyan pop and was known for polished production, genre-bending creativity, and a roster that read like a hall of fame. Bebe Cool, Jose Chameleone, Amani, Redsan, Wahu, E-Sir, K-Rupt … all orbiting that studio.”Lukas didn’t create music, he designed it, and that is what he did with Ninanoki, which is one of my greatest hits that changed my life. He did this with other songs, and that is why they were big. The funny thing is that Lukas wasn’t musical: he couldn’t play an instrument, but he was a genius on how to finetune a record, turning it into a hit. He had an ear for a potential hit, something I think we lack these days. That is why Ogopa Deejays records has remained timeless to this day.”Ogopa’s golden era birthed countless careers, none more promising than E-Sir’s. The young rapper and Nameless developed an unbreakable bond, becoming artistic collaborators and genuine brothers navigating stardom together. Their chemistry was electric, their future seemingly limitless.
E-Sir became not just a breakout star from Ogopa, but a cultural force. For two years, they navigated fame side by side, sharing the stage, songs and long conversations about the future they were building.
Then in March 2003 everything was shattered by a horrific road accident on the Nakuru-Nairobi highway. E-Sir died at just 21 years and Nameless survived. The nation mourned. Rumours emerged. Before the injuries began healing, another Ogopa star fell.
K-Rupt (Calton Juma), 24, was fatally shot by thugs in a matatu en route to Nyahururu for a performance. Hours before his death, he had spent time with Nameless, who had just landed back from India.
The double tragedy ignited a rumour storm after the deaths of the two stars close to him. “I have learnt to let go but those rumours, whenever I think of them, hurt me a little bit to date. Back in the day, they did affect me psychologically. Anyone who has ever experienced the kind of bond and love I shared with E-Sir knows that I would never wish any evil on him. People question how I survived — I was just lucky, I could have died too.”The accusation regarding K-Rupt cut even deeper.“Do you know how it hurts when you are accused of a close friend’s death, whom you didn’t even have time to say goodbye to? I had just returned from India when we met with K-Rupt earlier on that day. I was feeling a little bit under the weather.“I remember resting my head on his lap, and even when the time came for him to head to Nyahururu, we didn’t even have time to bid each other goodbye.”This year marks 22 years since E-Sir’s death, and Nameless has never let the memory fade. “I am at a point in my life where I have become very reflective. When I reflect on my bond with E-Sir, our friendship was the purest, very genuine. I was only four years older than him and had had a few hits before him, so he looked up to me as his older brother.“What I liked about him was how grounded he was. Even when he realised how famous and big he had become, he didn’t let it get into his head. He became bigger than me, and kind of knew it, but he would never want to perform after me in a show unless I pushed him to,” Nameless says.
They had been unstoppable and intended to keep it that way, but fate had other plans. “E-Sir listened a lot and asked questions. After doing a few songs, I asked him if we could do collabos so that whenever we got invited for shows, we would tag along, and it worked. We performed together so many times, and we knew we were destined for greatness. It was like a plane just about to take off but, as fate would have it, he didn’t live to see it.” Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
