Eric Omondi (born 9 March 1982) is a Kenyan comedian and actor. He made his comedy debut in

Churchill Show ''Churchill Show'' (formerly ''Churchill Live'') is a Kenyan comedy show hosted by comedian Daniel "Churchill" Ndambuki, that premiered on 2007 on the network NTV. It is recorded live at Carnivore grounds in Nairobi. Churchill Raw A 30-minute s ...

, a comedy show that airs on NTV in 2008. He has since won three African Entertainment Awards USA for 'Best Comedian' in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Early life and education

Omondi is the second-born in a family of four in Kisumu County. He attended Kondele primary school then Kisumu Boys High School. He later joined Daystar University and pursued a course in Mass Communication and Journalism.

Marriages and family

Omondi had once promised to marry his Italian girlfriend Shantal following their public engagement after being together for nearly five years. However, in 2018 the couple announced their breakup.

Career

Omondi started his career with a brief stint as a news reporter for

NTV Kenya NTV is a Kenyan general entertainment channel. The channel began operating on April 4, 2005, and is a revamp from the previous Nation TV station under the Nation Media Group arm that has been in existence since 1999. It is a popular TV Station ...

before meeting

Daniel Ndambuki Daniel Ndambuki famously known as Churchill(born 30 October 1977) is a Kenyan comedian who hosts the comedy television show ''Churchill Show'' on TV47 Kenya Kenya on Sundays. Churchill was born in Kitui town, but moved to Machakos. He has work ...

in 2006. He broke into the limelight in 2008 after he made an appearance on NTV's

. In 2015, he left the show, to host his own show called Hawayuni, which aired on KTN but was short-lived. He also did ‘Somewhere in Africa’ and ‘Untamed’. In March 2017, Omondi became the first Kenyan ever to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In 2020, he introduced a controversial show dubbed 'Wife Material' with its first season coming to an end with a wedding with Band Beca's Carol. The second season featured women from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda which saw him arrested. The show was later suspended by the Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB). Omondi was awarded the title of Comedian of the Year by African Entertainment Awards, USA (AEAUSA) for a third consecutive time in 2020. Omondi has since expressed his interest to get into politics.

Activism

In February 2023, Omondi with 16 other people demonstrated against the high cost of living outside Parliament, Nairobi Kenya. They were charged with taking part in an unlawful assembly. They were later released with cash bail of KES 10,000 each. Eric Omondi was also arrested by police on April 26, 2023 while protesting against unemployment and high cost of living in Kisumu. In the incident, Omondi led a group of protestors, with majority of them being university students, in the streets of Kisumu protesting the persistent unemployment affecting most graduates in the Kenyan society. Anti-riot police arrested the comedian and hurled tear gas canisters to disperse the peaceful protestors.

Awards

, - ! scope="row" , 2018 , rowspan="8", African Entertainment Awards USA , Best African Comedian , rowspan="8", Himself , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2019 , Best African Comedian , , rowspan="3", , - , African King Of Comedy , , - , Best Host , , - ! scope="row" , 2020 , Best African Comedian , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2021 , Media Personality of the Year , , - , Social Media Influencer of the Year , , - , Best African Comedian ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omondi, Eric Kenyan male comedians 1987 births Living people Kenyan stand-up comedians 21st-century Kenyan people