Jahmby Koikai’s voice was distinctive in the reggae world; it was fiery, emotional, furious, and intensely passionate.
Standing tall in an intimidating field full of men, Jahmby was a lady who knew everything there was to know about the intricacies of reggae, equipped with the words and accents needed to light up a party in the Caribbean.
Koikai was a lyrical beast on stage; she gave it her all, taking listeners to a beautiful reggae world interspersed with her exquisite Jamaican rhapsodies.
Listening to Jahmby was soothing; she understood her audience and knew exactly how to work her magic into the microphone, swiftly becoming one of Kenya’s most sought-after reggae MCs.
Jahmby, like her moniker Fyah Mummah, would effortlessly transform every performance into a flaming inferno, seemingly unconstrained and propelled only by her sheer determination to live and enliven her audience.
She had achieved a charm and virtuosity that appeared to be unique to her.
Her mellifluous voice echoed through matatus, online, and on the radio.
“Kama unapenda reggae, raaaah! “Someone say mo fire!” Njambi would call out magnificently and marvellously.
Jahmby and her regular sidekick Selector Technix provided the reggae community with astuteness and zeal that will never be surpassed.
Even after she was diagnosed with endometriosis and had to spend months in hospital wards, she refused to give up her voice. Or her light dims.
The reggae legend was now a health warrior, ready to face her internal demons while also motivating her supporters, putting on a brave face, confronting her situation, and informing the world about her ailments.
She didn’t want to be pitied; instead, she wanted to be understood as she revealed her illness, unafraid to share intimate images and proud of the new ambassadorial role she had helplessly assumed.
One memorable image of Koikai is of the endometriosis fighter laying in her hospital bed, visibly weak from the weight of countless medical tubes placed all over her upper body.
Even in that highly stressful situation, Koikai managed to grin.
Not long after her extended stay in Atlanta, Georgia, where she received life-changing surgery, Koikai flew back to Kenya to continue the fight and share the endometriosis Gospel. Above all, she returned to Kenya to do what she has always enjoyed: rocking the party.
Koikai’s first post-surgery job came in January 2020, shortly after she returned. She was excited about the opportunity to work with the crowds again, but she also saw it as an opportunity to ‘test her lungs’.
“My future seemed so gloomy. All I was doing was fighting for my life. I got out alive. God saw me through everything. “As I do my first mini-gig in Nairobi, more like a test drive for my lungs, as one of my fans put it, it’s overwhelming and heartbreaking to see how much support I’ve received,” she wrote on social media.
She extended her tours after receiving such a warm reaction. “I’ve already been scheduled for numerous gigs throughout March, both locally and internationally. It’s too much for me to take in. I am grateful and thankful to everyone of you. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. “No matter what you’re going through, keep hope alive,” she added.
“God is real and in control. Let the performances, conferences, endo awareness, interviews, and tours commence. Jahmby the conqueror is ready. “The Kenyan reggae queen is back!”
A year later, she returned to radio after a six-year hiatus. When she announced her Trace Radio gig, Koikai erupted in delight at the possibility of returning to her first love, radio.
“Faaaaammmm!! After six years!! Six long years of air! Guess who is back on radio? Queen Fyah Mummah Jahmby!!!! YES!!!! “I’m back on the radio, and my new home is Trace Radio!” she wrote then.
Despite being diagnosed with a terminal disease, Koikai continued to amuse, excite the masses, work the crowds, and inject some much-needed reggae harmony into a chaotic environment.
Nonetheless, her lobbying was relentless. She petitioned everyone, tagged all of the important players, made her voice heard repeatedly, made several public appeals, and represented the endometriosis war effort.
Her most recent appeal was to President William Ruto, who was leaving for a trip to the United States.
On May 19, 2024, she urged the President to visit the Center For Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia, on behalf of Kenyan women in need of specialized treatment and surgery.
She wrote: “This is a true and passionate cry for assistance to a few Kenyan officials, but please allow me to address President @WilliamsRuto first, as he makes his state visit to the United States. Mr. President, one of the themes of your visit will be health-care investment.
“As you begin your State visit to the United States tomorrow, I’d like to suggest a few stops that will benefit the millions of Kenyan women fighting in silence.
“The Kenyan delegation’s visit to the Center For Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia, would be game-changing. Send our gynaecologists, pulmonologists, neurologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and cardiologists for advanced training or fellowships.
“I write out of desperation for the hundreds of young girls in need of specialised treatment and surgery in order to alleviate the years of pain, loss of blood, loss of body function, loss of our careers, dreams and goals.”
Endometriosis is a painful condition in which tissue identical to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, resulting in significant pain and problems.
Koikai’s condition deteriorated in 2015 after she suffered a series of pneumothoraxes (collapsed lungs) caused by thoracic endometriosis, an uncommon form of the disease.
The conqueror’s voice is no more; her reggae stories, rallying calls, thematic words, chants, and poetic mastery are eternally lost.
Even in her absence, Koikai’s intelligence, ability, steadfastness, courage, and endometriosis evangelism will be remembered not just by those who lived during her lifetime, but by future generations.
Adios, Koikai. The program must continue, but for the time being, it will be dedicated to you.
