Hapa Kule’s Fred Omondi recalls thieves stealing all contributions after mum’s burial

Hapa Kule comedian Fred Omondi, alias Buda Boss, has opened up about one of the most painful chapters of his life, recalling how thieves made away with every coin that had been raised to support his family during his mother’s burial. 

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Thursday, July 31, 2025, Omondi recounted the emotional turmoil he faced after losing his mother while still in high school, only to face ridicule from relatives and then suffer a devastating theft on the very night the family was mourning.

You might also like

Entertainment

Eric Omondi reveals Fred’s death hit him differently

Celeb Watch Entertainment

Eric Omondi recalls being embarrassed after his brother Fred stole his joke on stage

Celeb Watch

Eric Omondi says his brother's death pushed him deeper into activism

Omondi said he first learned of his mother’s death in the most unexpected way.

“While at school, he was summoned by the principal under the pretext that his mother was ill and wanted to see him. Despite doubting the urgency of the excuse, given the school’s strict nature, he agreed to leave. It was during the bus ride home that his uncle broke the news. I was very well-known at school. I was loud, popular, and active in the drama club, music, and sports. Two days before the burial, my uncle came to school. He went to the principal, and the principal called me in. He said that my mother was sick and wanted to see me. Now, I knew how strict our school was, so I could not understand how they were permitting me to go home just because my mother was unwell,” Fred said.

“I thought, ‘Am I a nurse?’ Something did not make sense, but I accepted it and left. We were already on the school bus going home when my uncle broke the news to me. He told me my mother had died and that we were burying her in two days. I almost beat him up. Sometimes people do not know how to break news of that nature. If you are not sure how to say it, it is better to just leave it to someone else,” Omondi added.

Upon reaching home, he found the compound full of mourners. However, what shattered his spirit most was the reaction from some relatives, who seemed to be rejoicing rather than grieving.

“What broke my heart is how I saw the celebrations my relatives had. They were happy, and I remember one of them saying we were now going to become street kids because she had died. I have never forgotten that statement,” he revealed.

Omondi added that some family members appeared to envy his late mother’s perceived success, especially because she was a teacher.

 According to him, her passing was viewed by others as a way of ‘balancing’ the fortunes in the family. He noted that this envy was rooted in resentment over his father’s past accomplishments and the impression that the family was better off.

“Sometimes you can be in a family where your father’s success is resented by even your own relatives. In their eyes, my mother’s death was some sort of equaliser. They felt we were too successful, and now things had come back to their level. At that time, I was in high school. All six siblings were not working. My mum used to rent, and we did not even have a home. During her burial, people came and contributed, and a very big harambee was done for the family,” he said.

But just as the family began to feel a ray of hope, calamity struck again.

Thieves stormed in the same night after the burial and stole all the money that had been raised, with Fred noting that not even a single one thousand shillings was left behind.

“That same night, thugs came and stole every single cent that had been contributed. Even one thousand shillings; everything was stolen. Life became harder after that,” he said.

Things got even worse after his father died. Despite being connected to politicians who made countless promises to step in and help, none of the pledges ever materialised.

“My father later died, and how he was connected with politicians, they dropped many promises, even some saying they would take us up. But all those promises never came to pass. People even thought we had made it, but things were worse,” he added.