Full-throated with an acerbic tongue, TikToker Brian Chira pulled no punches

The talents of this popular Kenyan TikToker who died in a hit-and-run accident on Saturday, March 16, 2024, were undefined - as was his social media calling. While some are dancers, cooks or just beauty boffins, Chira just existed as Chira; a man famous for being famous.

One day he would hop online as a culture critic, the next day he was a social pundit. On a lazy day, he was ranting about his personal life and on a particularly hazy day (and there were many) he was an irascible character, ready to settle scores, pick wars and unleash virtual pogroms.

It was Chira's world, and we were lucky to exist in it - at least, some of us.

An evidently brilliant chap with a sharp tongue and acerbic wit, Chira had a way with words, and more often than not, would land himself in trouble for his disquieting pronouncements, pompous language and flivorous attitude.

Chira lived his life as he wanted it - he was irreverent and boisterously impertinent, allowing no one to call him to order, pick on him or attempt to box him into a corner.

Like James Bond, he knew early enough that one's name carried power, and that he had to dramatise its pronunciation, at least for the cinematic effect.

"My name is Chira, Brian Chira..." he would introduce himself, ensuring to enunciate each vowel clearly while also adding a little slur like ganache on a chocolate cake.

Despite battling a multitude of afflictions, Chira remained of good cheer, always entertaining his TikTok masses, dropping daily words of affirmation to himself, slurring down anyone attempting to rain on his parade and living life as pontifically as humanly possible.

He was hard to battle - or take on. Armed with a tongue as sharp as a Muhle blade, Chira always came prepared to defend his kingdom, taking to numerous TikTok Live sessions to address his haters, calling them out, one by one, ridiculing them contemptuously and, through it all, providing rare gems of entertainment to his TikTok minions.

Sometimes, through the bravado and unfettered machismo, he would break down and cry - Live on TikTok. A lot would bog him down... rent, sickness, loneliness, deep-seated family issues, money to buy simple drugs.

Chira never shied away from publicising his troubles - He had HIV/AIDS, would struggle to get medication, would often lack house rent and often spoke about a life of social ostracization and societal judgement.

On most of his lowest days, however, his TikTok family always stood by him - he would occasionally raise, sometimes through the help of bigger TikTokers, hundreds of thousands of shillings, all within hours.

Somehow, and quite unsurprisingly, he would again slump into penury not too long after.

Away from his tribulations, Chira's actual notoriety was rooted in his vocal savagery; He would cuss out, lash out, attack and swipe with unbridled viciousness, sometimes, even landing himself in court for his toxicity.

In fact, In August 2023, Chira owned up to being a 'toxic' person and apologised to his fans.

"I'm very sorry for those I have been toxic to because I have come to realise that I have been so toxic to friends who really cared about me, but I have never known they had good intentions. I thought they were trying to use me for the fame that I was gaining. They were there to hold me, but I didn't see it," he said during an interview with Kiss FM.

The apology came after Chira was dramatically arrested and arraigned for cyber harassment after allegedly sharing renowned influencer and screen siren Azziad Nasenya's phone number with the public.

He was also accused of using offensive language towards the TikTok tsarina by using his TikTok account to defame her.

He, however, denied the charges before Kibera Principal Magistrate Renee Kitagwa and was released on Ksh.50,000 cash bail.

A masterly wordsmith, Chira had a way with his words, always taking to his TikTok account to drop excitingly clever vocal gems which many would re-use multiple times on their TikToks.

Amongst other prime one-liners, Chira coined this effervescent quote: "Kama kuna kitu nimekataa hii maisha, is looking like my problems... I don't have money but kama wewe si pesa huwezi nipea stress. Unanipea stress kama nani?"

And truly, Chira remained unperturbed. Not by his online detractors. Or even offline denigrators.

The first verse of Frank Sinatra's immortal classic goes:

"And now, the end is near... 

And so I face the final curtain... 

My friend, I'll say it clear... 

I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full... 

I traveled each and every highway... 

And more, much more than this... 

I did it my way..."

Chira may have crossed a hundred paths and lit a thousand fires along the way, but if there's one undisputable thing, just like Sinatra, Chira did it his way - maybe, even more than his way.