Moji Shortbabaa recounts receiving news of his mother's death a day before planned surprise

The 2013 crossover into the New Year was one Gospel artiste James Muhia, popularly known as Moji Shortbaba, will live to remember.

Moji narrates having booked a gig which he says paid him handsomely then and making plans to reward his mother who had been her supporting pillar in his music career.

The dream to share the fruits of his labor with his mother did not come to light as she passed away on January 2, 2014.

“I remember in 2013 December, I got one of my biggest pay cheques until that time I had not gotten that kind of money. I knew I was going to buy my mother something nice, we were going through hard family issues so this was it, I woke up on the 2^nd only to her [about her] passing. It was hard,” Moji narrated in a recent interview.

Moji with younger sister and Grandmother Moji with younger sister and Grandmother Pulse Live Kenya

Moji’s grandmother took over motherly duties after the demise of his mother and has been assisting raise his two siblings who have since become adults.

Moji also spoke about the break up of music group Kelele Takatifu which was made up of him and Didiman

They both ventured into solo careers and Moji stated it was one of the hardest decisions of his career.

He said it was a conversation he struggled to have with his partner Didiman, who he says is like a brother, adding that he had fears of how it was going to be after launching individual careers.

Moji Shortbaba and Didiman Moji Shortbaba and Didiman Pulse Live Kenya

“It was really hard transitioning from Kelele Takatifu to pursuing solo careers we were like brothers and looking at how other groups had worked out after transitioning into solo careers I didn’t see so many success stories, it was so many so dark nights,” narrated Moji.

Moji who is behind hits such as Vimbada, Naskia Kuzitoka and Wacha Story is on a tour dubbed Cheza Gospel where he intends to revive the gospel industry which he says has received bad representation.