GOR BIRO

This has been a bad week for club and disco fraternity with the death of veteran DJ Aloyce Gory, considered one of Kenya’s forerunners in club entertainment specialising in African music.

The 56-year-old Aloyce, who was nicknamed ‘Gor Biro’ due to his fanatic support of Gor Mahia FC, died on Monday this week after a short illness at a Kisii hospital. Veteran KBC DJ John Obongo Jnr, said it came as a shock when he tried calling Aloyce’s number on Monday evening only to learn from his widow, Serfine Auma, that he had died a short while earlier.

“Aloyce was inspirational to many of us in the entertainment world especially on African music shows,” Obongo Jnr said. Many disco revellers in Nairobi in the 1980s will recall ‘Gor Biro’s’ stint at the then popular Club Visions on Kimathi Street, where he was among the pioneers of the Tropical Nights, and later African Nights.

As Papa Sam-G of Zanze Bar in Nairobi recalls: “We never missed Club Visions during the Campus Nites to be entertained by Aloyce and the other club disc jockeys.” During his stint also at Club Visions ‘Gor Biro’ used to interact with veteran DJ Paco Perez, who was then based at the Club Boomerang on Museum Hill.

Sammy Wamuri, a Lingala music fan and tours and travel consultant based in Nairobi, recalled how he never missed any Lingala session. “Aloyce ‘Gor Biro’ was always calm and knew how to entertain patrons at the club.” Prior to moving to Nairobi, he started off as a disc jockey at the Pivot Hotel from 1979 to 1980 and later he moved to the Eclipse Club in Nairobi from 1980 to 1983.

He continued working with Eclipse when the club changed its name to Tamango Club. Later, he worked with the Visions Club till the early 1990s when he moved to the Court Yard in Lang’ata until 1997. Fans of African music will also recall that Aloyce worked at the Club Dolce on Koinange Street from 1997 to 2003.

According to his son, Wycliffe Gory, Aloyce also had a stint at the Hipoberk hotel in Homa Bay from 2003 to 2004. In the later stages of his career on the entertainment scene, when he switched to being a club manager from disc jockey, he worked at the Club Afrique, formerly at Museum Hill, from 2004 to 2007.

He also worked at the New Deep West Resort Club. As Igwe Prezda Bandason, the band leader of Patrons Musica says, Aloyce’s efforts will be missed by many. Aloyce, who leaves behind a widow and six children, will be laid to rest on May 2 at his home in Bondo Kogelo near Bondo Primary School, Awendo in Rongo District.