Patrick Oketch, popularly known as Charlie, is a renowned actor who played a crucial role in the long-running Kenyan TV drama series, Mother-in-law. He is recognized as one of the pioneers of the program and has acted for more than a decade. Charlie’s character on the show was that of a stubborn drunkard from a wealthy family whose life was filled with drama. His on-screen wife was Catherine Kamau, and together they had a daughter named Olive, played by Ida Wanyoike.
Charlie was born in 1984 in Mathare, one of Nairobi’s slums. In 1987, his family relocated to Madiwa, Eastleigh. He was raised in a family of five boys and lost his father when he was only seven years old. His single mother struggled to provide for the family, and they often went without meals.
After high school, Charlie missed a university slot by only one point, which was disheartening for him. He first worked as a tout, but the job was too demanding, and he later became a construction worker. Eventually, his aunt sponsored his enrollment at a teachers training college, and he became a P1 teacher at Thogoto, earning Ksh3,000 per month. Despite his job, he did not see himself teaching indefinitely and later pursued a degree in film and theatre arts at Kenyatta University.
Charlie started his career as a writer and loved writing while in high school, where he would write letters to his peers’ girlfriends for Ksh20. He met comedian Jalang’o at the Kenya National Theatre, who gave him a script to translate into Dholuo. Charlie completed the task within two days and earned Ksh5,000 for his work. He then auditioned for commercials and films and even worked on Tahidi High before landing his big break on Mother-in-law, where he not only acted but also wrote scripts.
Apart from Mother-in-law, Charlie has participated in other films such as The Captain of Nakara, Sticking Ribbons, Intellectual Scum, and Kaze ni Tatsu Lion. He has also worked as a script editor for MaEmpress on Maisha Magic East.
In his personal life, Charlie married Judith Ogaya in a green and white-themed wedding ceremony five years ago. They have a son and a daughter together. Recently, his Facebook account was hacked, and he requested Kenyans to report the hackers, who went live on his account.
