President Daniel arap Moi of Kenya was in strange form at a recent public rally. First he whipped off his jacket and launched into a frenzied drum solo. Then he leaped from the stage and danced like a lunatic, swinging his hips wildly. The army chief and a senior cabinet minister joined in. And in the stands, the hushed crowd of his loyal citizens broke into thunderous applause and cracked up with laughter.

Welcome to the madcap world of Redykyulass!, Kenya's foremost comedy act. Unthinkable just a few years ago, the act has become a national phenomenon by mercilessly lampooning the political elite, and in particular President Moi. Their weekly television show, currently between seasons, was this year's hit programme, capturing 80 per cent of audiences on Sunday nights in Nairobi.

Less than a decade ago, such mockery would have landed the trio in jail. But last week they took the show to Eldoret, a town with unusually good roads and a barely-used international airport that also happens to be the home of President Moi.

Walter Mongare, who plays Moi, toured the town in a spanking new Mercedes flanked by lines of dark-suited jogging bodyguards. Grinning townsfolk crowded around to hear his ridiculous pronouncements ("Those trees over there: tomorrow, they will be gone!") or to see him slip a 50-shilling (55p) note into the palm of an unsuspecting passer-by.

"I don't think the president is such a bad guy," says Mongare behind the darkened windows. "It's the ones around him that are the problem."

It hasn't always been so easy. Early gigs were cut short by the mysterious failure of microphones, or by the intervention of zealous police officers. One senior politician warned he "couldn't be responsible" for their safety.

But the runaway success of the TV show has put the heavies back in their box. The trio have toured Kenyan communities in the UK and the US; some ministers have even been spotted in the audience.

President Moi has never publicly condemned the show. In many ways it was a smart move. "From what we've heard, he likes it," says director Kimaita Magiri. "Anyway it's probably too late to stop it now."

With soaring unemployment, a crumbling economy and bubbling social unrest, Kenyans need some fun.

"Life is difficult for everyone," says Simon Moseti (25) at a show. "But at least when we laugh it's not so gloomy."