Gospel singer Rufftone says his family knew they were going to lose their father, Josephat Mwatia, before he died in October 2017.
"We pleaded for his life like twice or so," Rufftone told Word Is last week.
According to a statement from his brother Daddy Owen, Mwatia died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.
"There were instances he was taken ill and the situations looked out of control, but we kept on praying God to give us more time with him," Rufftone said.
Losing his father was one of the lowest moments of his life.
"I had nothing but to tell God thank you for lending us a father for all that time because to be honest, we knew he was given like 10 more years on 'loan'. The only debt I had with God when dad died was to thank Him for his life," he said.
The singer says his dad was a pillar in his life, and taught him a lot about marriage.
"When I argue with my wife, I always remember that my dad told me that is part of the marriage package. He was so loving, protective, adviser, and he meant everything in our lives," he said.
Rufftone has been in the music industry for more than 20 years. Starting out, nobody believed in him, he said.
"I know it is God that has kept me relevant in the industry. Resources were not readily available. When I said I was going to venture into music, most people told me Kenyan music doesn't pay," he said.
"It even sounded weird that I would do music as a career because most people wanted me to look for a white-collar job."
The lesson he has learnt in life is: "Better take care of what you have before you lose it. I learnt that with my dad because you never know when you will lose him," he said.
Rufftone is working on releasing four songs this year.