OGA OBINNA TALKS CUTTING OFF HIS FATHER AND BATTLING WITH DEPRESSION

Comedian and media personality Oga Obinna has opened up about his strained relationship with his estranged Luo dad. While speaking to Cheptoek Boyo of Buzz Central, the Kiss 100 radio presenter unpacked their rollercoaster bond that stems from a rocky past.

Recalling one childhood experience from nursery school in Eldoret, Obinna said that his dad refused to give him a gift despite coming up top 5 in his class. Instead, he only gifted his elder brother, who was his favourite son. He also confessed that his father often punished him because he was always making mistakes compared to his brother, who was silent and elusive. For this, he vowed to work hard and outdo them financially after he was considered an outcast in his home.

“I never had a father figure. I was the loud one and the noisy one. I used to think I was cursed because a mistake would happen, and my dad would beat me without finding out what happened. You will find that probably it was not me, but because he already beat me, so I would never snitch on the other person. I am the type of person who holds grudges. I can hold grudges over years. So when he kicked me out of his home, I held that grudge. When I came to Nairobi, did everything I did, and Obinna happened, I said I am not going to forgive him.” he said.

The duo had mended their relationship a year ago and he even built him a house and gave him his first car, a Nissan Bluebird. However, it hit a snag again after his father insulted him about a week ago in a family Whatsapp group when his family was facing some difficulties.

“A situation happened in the family Whatsapp group, and he came guns blazing towards me. I was not the one with the mistake, and he had heard stories from one side. I listened to the voice note and tried to explain to him what had happened. I even told him I was trying to remedy the situation, but he continued unloading and I also unloaded and told him, ‘listen ni**a, you were never there, and you are not telling me sh*t’ it was very bad and I was like ‘everybody back to their corner, don’t call me and don’t talk to me.’ So I decided to cut him off again and focus on my life. I blocked and exited the group, and we are back to where we began.”

Obinna further stated that their relationship dragged him to depression, and he had even tried to commit suicide twice. He says the constant variance, coupled with other life issues, has seen him become mentally sick, and he will be checking up with the psychiatrist soon.

“I might be battling depression, but I might not know yet because I am doing what I always do, shove and push it down and say I am okay because every other person is looking up to me. I know it’s not healthy, that’s why I got a physiatrist contact, and we are meeting this week to start the first session. We will start talking about a lot of things that are happening and see what is possible.”