The family of Charles Ouda revealed his passing on Sunday. He was 38 years old.
“Dear friends and family, it is with great sadness that we share the passing of Charles ‘Charlie’ J.Ouda on the night of February 3, 2024,” the family said in a statement.
But who was he exactly, and what did he accomplish?
Ouda started his career in 2002 and worked as an actor, writer, director, TV host, voice actor, and singer.
His global credits began with the play “Lwanda: Man Stone,” which introduced him to the silver screen.
He appeared in fifteen plays and seven musicals over the years, playing Tony in Boy Gets Girl, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Balm in Gilead.
He also played in The Iron Heel as Ernest Everhard and Out of Africa: Journey Through Magical Kenya.
He took part in shows including Makutano Junction where he starred in over 12 seasons and wrote numerous episodes for the show.
In 2010, one of the episodes was awarded the World Media Award for Education.
He also has credits in Better Days, Discovery +254, MAD, Sienna’s Choice (Dr. Salvatore), Count It Out (The Man) and The First Grader.
Discovery +254 won a Kalasha International Award for Best Television Host, where Ouda co-hosted with Sarah Hassan.
Ouda starred in other television shows like The Know Zone Changing Times [KTN], Higher Learning, Changes, Mali [NTV], Second Family (Pepeta), Crime and Justice [Showmax] as Kenneth Mumbi and Salem [Maisha Magic] as Mel.
At one point, he was a coach at the Tusker Project Fame.
He directed shows in Who Are You? (2016 Asian American Film Lab’s 72-Hour Shoot Out Judges Choice).
The film won him the award for Best Director at the Film Lab Awards.
He also directed Waiting Room, which he also wrote.
Ouda attended a two-year conservatory programme at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York.
There, he worked with personalities including Mauricio Bustamante (Little Men) and Paul Calderon (Pulp Fiction, Boardwalk Empire).
Over his career spanning over two decades, Ouda worked with talents including Mkamzee Mwatela, June Gachui, Maqbul Mohamed, Lydia Gitachu, Siyalio, Amileena, Silas Miami, Nick Ndeda, Raymond Ofula, Nick Mutuma, Alison Ngibuini and Patricia Kihoro just to name a few.
In overall, he starred in eight plays as a lead character, directed two shows and hosted two cabarets.
In September 2023, he and his fiancée former BBC presenter Ciru Muruiki, announced their engagement.
