How has MC Mariach remained relevant?

His free-forming comedic style is animated and especially appealing to the ladies, not least because of his singular ability to express the nuances of the feminine psyche.

Mariach, the self-described ‘Mr. Portable guy’ courtesy of his slender built, tells his jokes in Luganda and he tells those jokes with a gift for comic pacing.

On the stage at Rock Comedy Pulse

However, this alone may not explain why he has managed to remain relevant after all these years.

We shall explain some reasons why Mariach is arguably the best standup comedian in Uganda.

His comedy is accessible

His use of Luganda helps him reach a wide domestic demographic as this particular vernacular is spoken by most Ugandans. There are, after all, 14 million Baganda, representing approximately 26.6% of Uganda's population. This lends the comedian a large wading pool in which to make a major splash in comedy.

Mariach working the audience Pulse

He is everywhere

Mariach performs on a variety of platforms, indeed no place is too big or too small for this energetic man. A quick look at his performances reveals that he performs at Alex Muhangi’s Comedy Store, Bright Onak’s Cubana Comedy, he also has weekly shows in Kisasi and Ntinda. He had his own special, King of Comedy, in 2018. As well as taking his comedic gifts to the now defunct Comedy Files, the Battle of comedy stage, Akandolindoli at Bat valley theatre and Entujo ya Easter. Inevitably, this has ensured that he won the Zzina and Buzz Teen awards as best comedian.

The award-winning comedian Pulse

The Notorious BIG and Tupac factor

Proverbs 27:17 proclaims: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”.

American rappers Christopher Wallace and Tupac Shakur were once great buddies, then they fell out and used their creative antagonism to immortalise their rap songs.

This can be said of Mariach and his erstwhile mentor MC Kapale.

Kapale (left) and Mariach Pulse

When Mariach took Kapale’s place in the hearts of Ugandan comedy lovers, Kapale faulted Mariachi for his presumed lack of appreciation to him for what he did for him, adding that the Portable Guy went ahead to copy his style of comedy.

This friction between the two has sparked their creativity and made the two better comedians, although Mariach has benefited more from this impasse.

He rarely repeats jokes

His free-forming, conversational comedy style of comedy ensures that he has a different set of gags for a different set of audiences. This is a breath of fresh air in a country where comedians repeat their jokes so much that they are no longer funny.