He is one of the most energetic and beloved figures in the gospel music industry, but Moji Shortbabaa has revealed that his early years were marked by the complex reality of being a secret child.
In a deeply moving interview with Lady Bishop Kathy Kiuna, the singer, whose real name James Muhia, shed light on the “unconventional” family dynamic that shaped his path to stardom.
The 33-year-old performer shocked viewers by revealing that his mother was just a 16-year-old schoolgirl when she brought him into the world, leading to a childhood of fractured living arrangements and an identity crisis that lasted until his preteens.
Speaking with a level of candor that has moved his fanbase, Moji explained that as a child, he felt like an outsider in his own lineage.
While he is technically the firstborn of three siblings, his arrival as a result of a teenage pregnancy meant his place in the family was never straightforward.
“If you had asked me when I was 11 years old, I would have said I was the ninth born in a family of eight because I was born out of a teenage pregnancy,” Moji explained.
The star revealed that the “shame” often associated with schoolgirl pregnancies in the 1990s meant that his identity was shrouded in complexity, leaving him to navigate a family tree that didn’t quite make sense to his young mind.
In a heart-wrenching detail about his upbringing, the Vimbada singer revealed that he didn’t spend his formative years living under the same roof as his mother.
Because his mother was still a child herself, she remained at her own mother’s home, while the infant Moji was sent to live with his grandmother.
“My mum gave birth to me when she was around 16 years old,” he said. “Up until my preteens, I lived with my grandmother, while my mum stayed at her mother’s place.”
While the arrangement provided him with a “stable environment,” the physical distance from his young mother during his early years added a layer of silent pain to his upbringing—a reality faced by thousands of children born to teenage parents across Africa.
Despite the “unconventional” start, Moji credits the unwavering support of his extended family for saving him from the potential pitfalls of his circumstances.
He told Bishop Kiuna that rather than becoming a statistic, his story of being a “schoolgirl’s son” became the foundation of his resilience. His journey into the gospel ministry was, in many ways, an attempt to find the peace and identity that his early years lacked.
Today, the singer says he has fully embraced his story and no longer views his birth as a “scandal,” but as a testimony of grace.
“Love and care from relatives can make a profound difference,” he reflected, urging families to support teenage mothers rather than casting them out.
For Moji Shortbabaa, the “ninth born” has finally found his rightful place at the very top.
