May 17 is always commemorated as the anniversary of the infamous Stella’s return from Japan to Kenya.
Social media is currently abuzz with mentions of # Freshley Mwaburi and of #Stella and how she ‘ate’ Mwamburi’s airfare to Japan.
Kenyans have made it a habit of revisiting the soul-stirring melody of Stella Wangu, a song that has broken all odds and crossed generations since its release in 1992.
The man behind the all-time hit is the legendary Taita singer Freshly Mwamburi who now leads a quiet life in Mumbuni, Machakos County, with his wife Dorcas Nduku and their children.
The story of Stella is one of heartbreak and betrayal, drawn from Mwamburi’s own life.
Although Freshley claims this was a true story, In separate interview with Saturday Standard, Mwamburi’s former Everest Kings band leader Abdul Muyonga, dismissed the claim that Stella ever existed. And that they only used the name to dramatise a social issue everyone could relate with.
“It wasn’t until I listened and watched media interviews that I found out the Freshley had taken this issue personally and started to claim that Stella was a true person, one who was his girlfriend. I was so shocked and together with the rest of the band members we have been thinking of how to address the matter to our fans,” he said.
But according to Freshley, In an earlier Interview, he insisted that Stella was a real life story. It is what happened to him. He met Stella in 1991 when he went to perform at Garden Hotel in Machakos.
“During this time Stella was studying at the University of Nairobi, but she left for Japan in 1992 to advance her studies. We were in love and I expected her to come back and marry me after her studies overseas,” he said.
A journey Mwamburi supported financially by selling his car, land, cattle just so that he could invest in her dreams. “I thought she’d come back, and we’d build a life together,” he recalled.
Fast forward to when she was supposed to come back. She arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on May 17, she showed up in Kenya with a four-foot-tall Japanese man and their baby.
Mwamburi poured his pain into the song, creating a timeless piece that captures the universal sting of unrequited love.
“I gave the relationship my all, including disposing of my old car to help her with her financial needs while abroad. We were in constant communication and all through I knew she was all mine, that I would marry her. This Kamba girl was such a beauty…you know,” he said.
The Stella story hasn’t been without its complications in Mwamburi’s personal life.
His wife, Dorcas, initially struggled with the song’s prominence and the constant revisiting of her husband’s past heartbreak.
“Initially my wife was not comfortable when she heard about Stella. I mean, which woman ever wants her husband to keep remembering his ex-lovers? Now, everything is okay with her. Our marriage is happy,” Mwamburi said in an interview with The Standard, insisting that the Stella in the song was his girlfriend back then.