Louis Otieno, Tero Mdee, Esther Arunga and other Celebrities Who Gave Up Their Fame for a Quiet Life (Photos)

There are people who have a rapacious appetite for the limelight, but fame just ‘refuses’ them no matter what they do.

But there are those who became famous without trying too hard, all they do is just ‘do their thing’ i.e. pursue their careers and fame just knocks at their door.

But somewhere along the way they, they give up their seemingly perfect careers and the fame for a quite life. Here are some people who gave up the fame in search for something different.

1. Ian Mugoya

After years of working as the host of one of the hottest shows in Town, Str8 Up, Ian Mugoya noiselessly left KTN. There was no fanfare, no poignant or explanatory posts about his departure, just radio silence on the whole matter.

This silence of course led to a lot of assumptions, with some saying he was fired and others saying he quit.

But as Ghafla came to learn, Ian left the show to pursue his Masters degree at Thika-road based Campus USIU.

2. Yvonne Maingey

The former ‘Club Kiboko’ host made her comeback to TV in September 2014 as a news anchor on NTV. And her comeback to our screens did not go unnoticed. In fact, she caused a quite the star as the plump girl on Club Kiboko had blossomed into a stunning young lady.

Unfortunately, before we could get to know her better, she hastily left to pursue her PHD and now works as a consultant for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

3. Habib Na Manga

L-R: Manga, Big Pin and Habib

When these two musicians released Fever, many thought that Habib had taken over from the late E-sir and would ceaselessly bequeath us with good music.

Unfortunately, this was not to be as the two disappeared from the limelight and the last we saw of Habib was in 2012 at an MCSK meeting at the Bomas of Kenya.

4. Esther Arunga

She was the darling of the screens and even won a Chaguo La Teeniez (CHAT) award which was a big deal back in the day. At the height of her fame, she joined ‘Finger of God’, quit her job, got married to the sleazy Quincy Timberlake and plunged into total obscurity.

The last we heard of Esther was that she was in a legal battle for her freedom after her husband allegedly killed his son in an attempt to exorcise demons.

When Citizen TV attempted to get hold of Esther, she expressed that she had no interest in talking to the media or reconnecting with her Kenyan roots.

5. Tero Mdee

Vanessa Mdee’s elder sister was HOT! The Tanzanian started her career at Homeboyz Radio but she was just too pretty for radio and so she joined KTN’s Str8up.

An year after Str8 Up was launched, she bagged a trophy for the Best Teeniez VJ and Presenter at the Chaguo la Teeniez awards .She then went on to bag other awards and accolades and at the height of her career she suddenly left and moved back to Tanzania.

She quit radio and TV, gave up on most material things and got married to Prophet Hebron Kisamo of Calvary Temple Church in Arusha where she was content with living a simple life as the pastor’s wife.

6. Louis Otieno

We knew Louis as the snazzy dresser, with an authoritative voice and an innate charm that drew his viewers to the screen.

He enjoyed a career on TV only a few could dream of but things took a downward trajectory after he was linked to the brutal murder of Careen Chepchumba.

Such a case can take a toll on someone’s career and Louis soon left TV and allegedly became an alcoholic. Close to 2 years after the murder of Careen, Louis Otieno resurfaced, worn-out and frazzled, during a KTN interview with Dennis Onsarigo.

After this interview, Louis Otieno fell ill and was admitted to hospital. After recovering, the court cases continued and Chepchumba’s father accused Otieno of getting money from Chepchumba to fund his rock-star lifestyle.

Louis Otieno admitted to Chepchumba offsetting his bill of 500,000 but denied having an affair with her. He went on to allege that Mr Hosea Kili, Chepchumba’s father sexually abused the former KPLC employer in a court hearing at the Kibera Law Courts on June 3, 2016. Pretty intense stuff.

7.Olivia Otieno

Before Adelle Onyango became a radio presenter and won the youth over with her bubbly personality , Olivia Otieno was popular among the youth. So popular was she that she bagged a Chaguo La Teeniez Award. But she gave it all up.

She later became a head of radio at Family Radio 316 and formed the Tujuane TV Program Currently; she is the Sales and Marketing Director at Sunny Money, a company that sells solar lamps.

8. Ousmane Maregwa

Photo:www.sde.co.ke

Rising Sun, Little Star and V.I.P Love were just some of the award-winning songs released by this artiste who grew up in Mombasa.

He faded away from the spotlight to work behind the scenes as a co-founder of an events organizing called 211 Entertainment. He also worked with 44 Records a record studio located along Thika Road.