Formed in Colombia in 1975, Wganda Kenya was a Latin Afrobeat funk band. Their music blended the influential sounds the group members heard on Fela Kuti albums with ‘70s funk grooves, and a liberal twist of homegrown Latin spice. The group was brought together by the legendary Medellin-based Discos Fuentas label – often referred to as Colombia’ answer to Motown – and was led by bassist Julio Ernesto Estrada. Nicknamed Fruko, the bassist was formerly the leader of salsa band Fruko y Sus Tesos. Wganda Kenya featured some of Fruko’s former bandmates as well as members of the Latin Brothers. The group released their debut album, Wganda Kenya / Africa 5.000, in 1975. As one of the leaders of the Afro-Colombian scene Wganda Kenya continued to release a series of albums in the 1970s for the Discos Fuentes label including Wganda Kenya (1976), Wganda Kenya Kammpala Grupo (1977), Que Buena Esta (1978), and El Ritmo Africano Con Wgands Kenya (1979). The group received plenty of radio airplay and were a popular live draw all across Colombia. The group’s output slowed down in the 1980s, only releasing two albums during that decade: Afromania Caribe (1984) and Cartagena Caribe (1987). Little known outside of Colombia during their heyday, the band was rediscovered decades later thanks to reisues and their inclusion on various compilation albums that focused on Afro-Colombian music.
