By JARED NAMAYI KEFA

Bunge la Shetani is the third cassette recently released by the Tanzanian gospel star, Kaka Paul. The cassette, which is already causing ripples in the gospel charts within East Africa comes at a time when the market is craving for quality gospel music.

Kaka has been composing songs of satisfaction, soul nourishment and joy. His themes are mainly drawn from the suffering and hope that the human soul may one day find solace on earth despite the suffering and hard times.

Gospel Singer Mr. Kaka Paul E-Mail kakapaul2002@yahoo.com

The sky is clearly the limit for him. Born 23 years ago, Kaka started singing in church choir at the age of 10. To him, it was just singing got God as everybody else was doing.

Little did he know that he would be a great musician who sings love. Listening to his music, one would first think it was Faustin Munishi singing in a higher baritone.

He, too, preaches, comments and observes the same way Munishi does his gospel music.

Apart from Bunge la Shetani, which features songs like Ni Nini Dawa ya Dhambi, Sauti ya Yohana Mubatizaji, Naishi Kati ya Simba Wakali, Naogopa Dhambi among others, there are two other cassettes to his credit.

The two previous productions have proved quite popular in music charts, with tracks such as Wana wa Mungu reigning high in households and public places. The cassette, recorded in early ago, the cassette has managed to sell more than 2 million copies, and is still being sold in the local music stores.

"My second album was my favourite cassette because it has some of the best songs and it has done so well in the market. I’m still selling it. In a single week, I used to sell 250 copies within Nairobi town only," he explains.

"I will do anything for my Lord, for Him I’ll sing even if I was on crutches," says the man who is popularly known as Kaka by his peers and colleagues in the music industry. His deep-rooted belief in God is depicted in the messages weaved up in his songs.

"Before getting into music, I was working as a waiter in an Arusha Hotel. In 1991 I joined Dar-es-Salaam Piano School for piano and accordion lessons while still working at the hotel," he said.

Kaka Paul attended Ngara Mtoni Primary School in Arusha, Tanzania. In 1994, Kaka decided to visit Kenya and that is when he formally got into gospel music.

While in Kenya, he joined the Agape Christian Fellowship Centre, and after one month, he started a choir in the church whereupon he became the choirmaster.

Early in 1995, he went to Baptist Studio and recorded his first cassette entitled Wana wa Mungu. The cassette sold well in the regions of about 500,000 copies.

I’m looking forward to doing greater things for my Lord because He is the one who gave me the talent which I’m now using to compose and sing songs," he says, adding, "I dedicate my best songs to my God, for everything he has done to my life has been great. I’m promising my Lord that I will sing and praise Him".