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Music Distinguished

Ayub Ogada

1956 – 2019

The nyatiti player whose voice reached the world

Distinguished is level 3 of 4 in the Kenya Hall of Fame: sustained excellence over a career, widely honoured at home. See how the levels work.

Why they are here

He played the eight-stringed Luo nyatiti and sang in Dholuo, and did it so well that his music travelled far beyond anyone who spoke the language.

Born Job Seda in 1956, Ayub Ogada was a singer whose characteristic instrument was the nyatiti, the eight-stringed lyre of the Luo of Nyanza.

He also acted, with roles in Out of Africa (1985) and The Kitchen Toto (1987). He died in February 2019.
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