The song “Dunia Mbaya” by the late Princess Jully, is undoubtedly still fresh in your memory. It got people dancing in their homes, at festivals, at bus stops and on national television.
Fun fact: “Dunia Mbaya” was a national awareness campaign song on HIV/AIDS.
She enjoyed considerable success in the 1990s; she even paid 30,000 shillings a month to rent a house in Nairobi. The ex-Benga queen relocated to Nairobi to pursue her musical career following the death of her spouse, Princess Jully, in 1997.
Sadly, she died passed on, on October 12, 2024, while undergoing treatment at the Migori County Referral Hospital.
How Princess Jully went broke
Although she attained legendary status during her youth, Princess Jully’s last days—or rather years—on earth were not easy, as she struggled for some time before her death.
As per Mpasho.co.ke, Auma returned to Suna West sub-county and began working in mines for 300 shillings per day. Moreover, she had to trek more than 50 km to make ends meet, and the county considered her life a complete failure.
According to Mpasho.co.ke and The Star, due to her condition at the time, Princess Jully went to stay in a mud house at his rural home as from 2015.
Following reports by media outlets that the well-known Dholuo singer Princess Jully was living in extreme poverty, her son Makajully disclosed the reason behind her widely reported demise.
Speaking to Citizen Digital, Julian revealed that her mother’s bankruptcy was caused by extravagant lifestyle, poor financial management, and altruistic giving.
In an article by The Star Princess Jully’s son claimed that the singer was so focused on serving others that she frequently neglected her own family.
“Mama wanted to make the world a better place. She invested in hundreds of people, paid school fees and housed orphans,” her son narrated.
The musician, who occasionally played with her band of eight at different Nairobi clubs, accused local promoters of being biased.
The Dunia Mbaya hitmaker was born in a village dubbed Makalda in South Nyanza.When she was only one week old, her father spassed away leaving behind her mother, who was a farmer on their small-scale piece of land.
In terms of her rise to fame, Jully has gone a long way. Her early musical influences came from her grandmother, Benta Nyar Kanyamkago Nyagolima, the first female chief in Nyanza Province.
However, the songbird’s life has never been a bed of roses as her lack of school fees caused her to drop out of school while she was in Form One. Later on,she became pregnant at a very young age.
In her community at the time, being pregnant before getting married was frowned upon. Even though she was rejected, the young lady who battled against all odds to become famous didn’t give up.
