The British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott on Wednesday, March 1, held talks with Kenyan artists and influencers in Nairobi to discuss issues of food security in the county.
According to the artists, they explored how content creators can amplify key messages on initiatives tackling food security.
After the meeting, the artists expressed their delight and honor to meet the ambassador and effectively highlighted some of the details from the meeting.
"Advocacy can indeed contribute to progressive change and content creators can use their platforms for good," Talanta Hella Board member and Tiktoker Azziad Nasenya wrote in a statement.
"We discussed food security and possible solutions. Great session," musician Kennedy Ombima (King Kaka) shared in a statement accompanied by images of him with Marriott at her residence.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, one of the artists who attended the high-level meeting indicated that it was the first of several meetings to come between the High Commissioner and the Kenyan artists and content creators.
"Marriott wanted us to discuss ways in which Kenyan musicians and content creators can use their platforms to amplify messaging on food security in the country.
"We want to get the urban population fully involved in the conversation so that we raise awareness and come up with solutions on how to tackle the problem," he revealed.
The artist who spoke on condition of anonymity indicated that the meeting was solution-oriented and looked forward to further engagements to actualize their discussions.
"As artists and influencers, we have a voice that we can effectively use to provide solutions to the food security challenge in the country and I believe that is what the High Commissioner is looking for," the artist indicated.
Other than Azziad and King Kaka, other artists and content creators who attended the meeting include Delvin Mudigi (Savara), comedian Timothy Kimani (Njugush), and Tiktoker Salim Gori (Dance General) among others.
The drought situation in the country due to failed rains have exposed a lot of Kenyan families to food insecurity.
Data from ReliefWeb, a humanitarian information portal, indicated that about 3.5 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
During his address at the 59th Mashujaa Day celebrations, President William Ruto outlined a raft of measures that he indicated would provide a long-term solution to the perpetual drought and food insecurity problem in the country.
Among the strategies outlined by the president included the fertilizer subsidy, and the sinking of dams to support irrigation among others.
