Famous Kenyan TikTok influencer Brian Chira passed away on 16 March in a hit-and-run accident.
The news of his sudden death shocked many.
Recently his funeral happened in a remote village, Gitei, in central Kenya.
His burial was supposed to be attended by his family and close friends but unexpectedly his loyal fans “Chira Clan” arrived at the spot in a mass crowd. In just a year, he gained a fan following of 400,000 on his social media accounts.
Initially, they wanted to contribute to his funeral so they opened a funeral fund and went on to raise $60,000 (£48,000) for the burial.
Brian Chira’s funeral video dominates the internet
Returning to the burial, the event was planned for 500 people but reached more than 5,000 including many notable TikTok creators and singer Otile Brown.
Chira’s friend Faustine Lukale popularly called Baba Talisha on social media attended the events and talked to BBC stating-
“These were just random TikTokers, no one mobilised them. We thought they were attending another burial in the neighbourhood,”
Even after his death, Brian Chira remained a trending topic in Kenya with over 7,000 posts on X. He first came into the limelight in 2022 December when a local TV station interviewed him as a road accident witness. In the shot span of tune, his charming personality captured national attention.
Later, Brian Chira used his fame to build his presence on various social media platforms. TikToker Tizian his close friend also attended the burial in the suite while waving at the crowd and smiling. A video of his is currently going viral on the internet.
He was an orphan and college dropout as he could not afford the tuition fees. His grandmother Esther Njeri took care of him from the age of 8.
