Kenyan comedian Arap Uria, who makes skits impersonating legendary football commentator Peter Drury, has finally met with his role model in person.
Arap Uria who became popular for mimicking the lines and verses of Drury in his skits finally had the opportunity to meet with the iconic commentator. The Kenyan comedian had to fly from Kanye to Qatar majorly for this purpose.
The comedian is one of the football fans who had traveled to Qatar to watch the 22nd edition of the World Cup – the first hosted in an Arab country.
Arap, whose real name is Meshack Kiprop, has become an internet sensation for lip-synching Drury’s commentaries and after arriving in Qatar on Friday, he expressed his wish to meet the Englishman. His pleas were among the top trending topics online, leading to a sit-down with his idol on Saturday.
Arap, who is based in Kenya’s Rift Valley town of Eldoret, has become a household name now attracting global attention as his skits have gone viral thanks to the popularity of Drury in Africa.
“Messi’s head ooooooh “- commentary at MSC World Europa in Qatar😂😂🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/q5mSXLZfzJ
— Arap Uria (@arapuria) December 3, 2022
The comedian has a signature look that includes an old brown blazer and two giant mugs that hang on his ears during his shows and he explained in a previous interview how his mood dictates the kind of ‘microphones’ he picks for his skits.
Lip-synching Drury’s commentaries have now turned into a career for the comedian who gets invitations to various events in Kenya and beyond.
Wonderful. It has happened. 👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/e4IeQF02a0
— Jim Beglin (@jimbeglin) December 3, 2022
Arap previously explained how the neutral nature of football saw him leave political skits for the beautiful game.
Arap Uria had admitted his love and admiration for Peter Drury, and his passion for football.
According to him, he used to mimic political leaders, but after realizing that politics has division, he decided to do football because it is a neutral ground and everybody loves football.
Arap will be in the stands to take in some of the World Cup action while Drury continues working on the games.
Gooooal!!!😂😂
— Arap Uria (@arapuria) December 3, 2022
Finally with Peter Drury . Many thanks @jimbeglin pic.twitter.com/evczz4eodc
Who is Arap Uria?
Arap Uria’s real name is Meshack Kiprop Biwott. He is 27 years old (born on November 22, 1994) and hails from a village in Moiben constituency, Uasin Gishu County.
He is a teacher by profession, having graduated from the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Education in 2019.
Uria is a family name which he adopted for his stage persona. The character he portrays in his skits is inspired by his grandfather.
The comedian’s journey in comedy has slowly grown over the years through his YouTube channel and influencer work he does on his Instagram page, working with brands such as MultiChoice (DStv) and Betika.
When he initially started, his skits involved the portrayal of drunken rants which he says offended his father, a staunch Christian. He was, however, encouraged by his mother to continue developing his comedy acts.
He has since enlisted a co-performer for the skits, Gogo Smallz, and changed his scripts from using his vernacular – Kalenjin – to incorporating Swahili and English lip-synchs.
Arap Uria now boasts of over 37,700 followers on Instagram and over 324,000 subscribers on YouTube, along with paid partnerships with major companies in Kenya.
