Kenyan filmmaker and content creator Abel Mutua has opened up about the painful circumstances surrounding the death of his younger brother, Raphael Mbuvi Musyoka, popularly known as Rapho.
Raphael died in December 2023 at the age of 23, leaving the Mutua family devastated.
At the time, Abel Mutua shared the news on social media, describing his younger sibling as a vibrant young man whose life had been cut short.
Years after the tragedy, Abel has now spoken more openly about what his family went through before Raphael’s death, shedding light on a difficult period that he had previously kept largely private.
Abel reveals family struggled to help Raphael
Speaking during an interview on The Kisiangani Podcast in September 2026, Abel revealed that Raphael had battled addiction for about two years.
According to Abel Mutua, the situation became a family matter as his siblings tried to find ways of supporting Raphael and helping him overcome his struggles.
He explained that Raphael was the last-born in their family of eight, while Abel is the fourth-born.
Abel said the family had attempted to get Raphael professional help and had discussed different ways of helping him rebuild his life.
The filmmaker recalled one particularly emotional conversation in which Raphael sat down with his siblings for several hours and apologised to them.
The family subsequently offered to take him back to rehabilitation and assured him that they would support him afterwards.
Abel said they were also prepared to help Raphael find accommodation and either return to school or work with him.
Abel speaks about the pain of losing his brother
Despite the family’s efforts, Raphael died in December 2023.
Looking back, Abel said the loss remains difficult for him to comprehend.
“It was such a big thing. We lost that boy in such a manner that sometimes I just sit like this in disbelief. I still cannot believe that the boy is gone,” Abel said.
The actor had initially announced Raphael’s death without publicly discussing the circumstances surrounding it.
In a social media post at the time, Abel mourned his younger brother and expressed his belief that the family had done everything it could to help him.
Raphael was later laid to rest in Machakos County in January 2024.
The funeral was attended by family members, friends and colleagues who gathered to remember the young man.
Abel says addiction changed his perspective
The experience also appears to have changed Abel’s understanding of addiction and the difficulties faced by families trying to support loved ones.
The filmmaker cautioned against judging families dealing with addiction, explaining that the condition can affect how a person thinks and behaves.
“When you are dealing with someone who has an addiction, the dynamics are so different. This guy is unwell. He is not okay and he is not reasoning like you are,” Abel said.
He added that people who have never experienced addiction within their families may not fully understand the challenges involved.
Rapho remembered for his football talent
Beyond the struggles he faced, Raphael was also remembered by Abel as a young man with considerable football talent.
Following his death, Abel described his brother as a budding footballer and mourned the fact that his talent would never be fully realised.
“Till we meet again little bro. Can’t believe all that football talent will never be appreciated,” Abel wrote at the time.
The death prompted an outpouring of condolences from Abel’s fans, friends and fellow entertainers.
Abel had also appealed for financial support to help the family give Raphael a befitting send-off.
A story Abel had promised to tell
Immediately after Raphael’s death, Abel indicated that he would eventually tell his brother’s story, saying he hoped doing so could help someone else.
At the time, he wrote that he would share the story after the burial because he believed it could save someone and ensure Raphael’s death was not in vain.
His latest revelations therefore offer a deeper look into the family experience behind a tragedy that shocked many of his followers.
For Abel, Raphael’s death remains a painful reminder of the challenges families can face when trying to help a loved one through addiction, land of the limits of what family members can sometimes do despite their efforts.
FOLLOW NAIROBI NEWS ON FACEBOOK
If you like our work, you can buy us a soda
Buy us a soda 🥤
