Entertainment

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday, April 6, announced a raft of measures intended to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and cushion Kenyans from the economic downturn occasioned by the pandemic.

He notably directed the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to allocate Ksh100 million from the Sports Fund towards artists, actors and musicians.

“I direct the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to avail Ksh100M from the Sports Fund to our artistes, actors and musicians during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic so they may continue to entertain their fellow brothers and sisters through TV, radio and the internet,” he ordered.

Artists expected to benefit from the allocation are registered members of the three main Collective Management Organizations (CMOs); the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK), the Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) and the Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK). Collectively, the three CMOs which are mandated to represent artists have a membership of 19,000.

President Uhuru Kenyatta (Blue & White checked shirt) pictured during his radio interview at State House Nairobi on April 7, 2020.

PSCU

Quick calculations confirm that, if all registered artists are to be paid, then they will get around Ksh5,000 each.

Kenyans.co.ke reached out to various leading artists to get their thoughts on the anticipated pay-out.

Benzema aka Alejandro of hit-making group Ochungulo Family stated that the pay-out was an indictment of the failure of the government and CMOs to create a working structure that ensures artistes earn from their music, arguing that in other countries, it was artistes who were donating to the government to support Covid-19 response efforts.

"I think it just shows how badly off our entertainment industry is and has been for years. Right now, these big artistes are supposed to be the ones giving the government money to fight Covid-19, we're seeing it in other countries. Why not Kenya?

"We are only finding ourselves in this situation because of the mismanagement over the years of this industry. Artistes in Kenya don't earn from royalties, and now they're stuck at home with no shows, depending on a pay-out from the government. It's not supposed to be like that," he asserted.

Leading Gengetone producer Hitman Kaht, who is behind numerous smash hits including Wabebe and Olunga, called for artists to get their act together and push for working systems that guarantee them a steady income instead of one-off payouts.

He observed that, in past years, distribution of royalties by bodies such as MCSK saw all registered artists earn pay-outs of less than Ksh3,000.

Decrying this, Hitman called for artists to reject the Ksh100 million and demand to have it spent on acquiring world-class airplay monitoring equipment to ensure that distribution of royalties is based on facts and figures.

"If that money is going through MCSK, we're in trouble. Because MCSK doesn't use any form of statistics when distributing royalties. What we need is for the systems to be overhauled.

"This story of getting Ksh5,000 today, Ksh5,000 next year isn't helping. In fact, I think as artistes we should reject that Ksh100 million and call for them to buy equipment to monitor how songs are being played so they can pay us accordingly.

"We should also overhaul the leadership of these bodies like MCSK. If artists can have me as the CEO of MCSK we can start implementing these things immediately," he stated.

File image of Wabebe producer Hitman Kaht

Twitter

Fast-rising spoken word artist Willie Oeba, whose recent hard-hitting release Dear Mr President aimed at President Uhuru Kenyatta has been trending, stated that the intervention was a good idea but the funds were nowhere near adequate; reiterating Kaht's calls to fully implement merit-based distribution.

Oeba also called for radical changes in how CMOs work as he decried corruption within the organisations, stating that they should be merged.

"The initiative itself is good because artists have really been affected by this thing. For example, there are no shows to perform at because gatherings are banned. So it's a good initiative.

"But when you hear you're getting just Ksh5,000, it is not that much. In this economy, it is even hard to pay your rent with that.

"So I  think it is more important to change the systems. You cannot have an artist like Nyashinski getting Ksh5,000, the same as an artist who has released one single in his entire career because they are both registered members. 

"The problem with the Ksh5,000 is that for many artistes, even their expenses to make the music is much more than that, so these one-off payments of Ksh5,000 don't help much.

"We should also collapse all these CMOs and have one body representing artistes. When you go to their offices, all you see is big cars bought with artistes' money. These guys collect money from matatus, clubs, hotels, everyone and they're always working. Where does this money go?" he questioned.

Spoken word artist Willie Oeba pictured during a performance in 2018

File

After an agonising two-year wait, Kenyans will finally get to watch 1988, the gripping true story of what really happened in the days of Nyayo.

The production team behind the film announced that 1988 would be released free to the public on YouTube on Friday, April 10.

Set in the 1980s, the film explores the true story of Khoti Babu, a law student at the University of Nairobi during the late 1980s.

Watch the 1988 trailer below:

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Khoti falls on the wrong side of the law and is bundled away to the infamous Nyayo Torture Chambers on allegations that he was speaking ill of the government.

The film follows Khoti's harrowing experience in the hands of the Nyayo guards who promise him immunity if he will only betray one key figure at the university.

Kenyans spoke to the film's director Robert Asimba who revealed that the story was drawn from interviews with personalities who lived through the infamous period including the activist and political detainee Koigi wa Wamwere.

"The people we interviewed were jailed, released, followed. They have a lot of information about 1988. We also had a chat with Koigi," stated Asimba.

"We have an entire feature film based on the interviews we did. We are showing what actually happened we just didn't want to do it as a documentary," he added as clarification.

The director qualified that the production team had its sights set on doing a full feature film by the end of the year that would build on the shorter version.

"We got more information from a doctor abroad who deals with matters of torture who sent us a very confidential document that helped us craft the story," stated Asimba.

Asimba explained that the film would give the audience a vivid idea of what happened in 1988 with Khoti Babu as the central figure. 

"We are focusing on Khoti the law student, but the whole script will focus on everybody involved including the people who used to torture and why they did," Asimba explained.

The 1988 feature film would also cast a spotlight on the infamous 'torturer-in-chief' James Opiyo. A reclusive figure to date, the retired Deputy Commissioner of Police was identified by many Nyayo detainees as their most dreaded guard.

"The entire story has Opiyo and his family. From the information we have we know that he is blind and ailing and that he'll never talk to the camera. But his story is featured: you can narrate it from the people who were there," revealed Asimba.

Poster for 1988 film set to premiere on Youtube on April 10, 2020.

Tufilamu Pictures

The director asserts that the film is crucial as it bears a slice of history that should not be buried. 

"The full feature is quite heavy so we will look for every means possible to do it. It's a story that needs to be told," he concludes.

The revered writer of the film is Charles Chanchori. It will be brought to life by celebrated actors Helen Waithera, Mike Njeru, Raymond Ofula and Qwachezz Kwach. 

A cover of one of Sauti Sol's most popular songs 'Sura Yako'  done by a Chicago-based band lit up the internet on Friday, March 27.

The cover from February 5, 2020, was reposted by the US Embassy, Nairobi, on their social media platforms urging Kenyans to have a listen as they work from home.

"Good morning, Kenya! Enjoy some Kenyan-American fusion of the song Sura Yako by Sautisol. The cover was done by the Chicago based bluegrass band Henhouse Prowlers. Enjoy some downtime as you #StayHome #StayHealthy!" the post reads.

The Henhouse Prowlers are a well-known band in Chicago due to their touch of blue-grass music which is complemented by instruments such as the gutar and the banjo, and also for their experimenting with different cultures and songs.

The American Blue Grass Band Henhouse Prowlers.

Instagram

In the video, the band stated that they admired the works of Sauti Sol and that they had been honoured to have spent time with them during their American tour.

"The band that wrote it is called Sauti Sol, and the song is called Sura Yako. We got to hang out with these guys and I can tell you that they are huge stars in Kenya.

"They caught wind of us playing their song and went out of their way to spend an afternoon with us which again was another amazing experience for us.

"We had this wonderful afternoon with these guys simply because we took the time and effort to learn some of their music, and it was not an afternoon none of us will forget," the leader of the band stated.

The ensemble of the instruments and the powerful vocals gave the song a very different touch that many who watched the video found to be interesting.

The band's near-impeccable grip of the Swahili language also had many of the people expressing their support and appreciation for the effort they put into learning the song.

"I love the effort they put into learning... They do sound lovely," Nduku Kamau posed.

"Beautiful, sending messages of hope to the affected friends and families from Covid-19 in the USA and the world! It shall pass!" Bruno Junior added.

A screenshot of the reactions to the Sauti Sol cover on March 27, 2020

Facebook

A screenshot of the reactions to the Sauti Sol cover on March 27, 2020

Facebook

Below is the video...

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Several Kenyans have had lucky breaks that they never knew would lead them to great paths.

In a moment of genuinely expressing themselves and being at the right place at the right time, some of these individuals have become celebrities and media personalities through such unplanned moments.

Here are 6 personalities whose lucky breaks came in the most random and unexpected means of their source of livelihoods. 

Bonoko

Ghetto Radio presenter James Kang'ethe, popularly known as Bonoko's rise in popularity was by a pure chance.

Talking to Parents Magazine in 2018, he intimated that he was simply narrating an extrajudicial killing involving someone he had known for quite sometime when fame inadvertently followed him.

He told his side of the story to the journalist, where he described that police officers had killed a trader and planted a gun on him to taint him as a thief.

“Huyo mtu si mwizi anauzanga mitura pale Ngara. Wakamuua halafu wakawekelea bonoko juu yake (That man is not a thief, he sells mutura at Ngara. They killed him and planted a toy pistol on his chest)," the presenter told journalists. 

His sentiments went viral and soon after, DJs incorporated the sound bite in music. When friends informed him that his clip was playing on the airwaves, went to Ghetto Radio and demanded royalties.

One of the station's presenters reportedly heard him while he was being hassled by security guards and rushed to have him interviewed.

He ended up hosting the show with presenter Mbusii, a job that he has been ever since.

Sirikai Tafadhali Woman

Jane Anyango Adika became a celebrity in April 2012 after the media widely reported her plight as a victim of floods in Kano, Nyanza region. 

Adika was seen lamenting that the rain had carried away her property and left her in shambles, unaware of where her children were at.

In her funny and broken Swahili, what stood out in her speech was how she pleaded for help from the government, leading to Kenyans nicknaming her Mama Serikali.

Her plea, however, soon landed her several high-profile advertisements with a popular telco, turning her misfortune into a cash cow and her into a celebrity.

In 2015, the County Government of Kisumu appointed her as a flood preparedness ambassador under its Department of Special Programmes.

Mama Fua

Kenyans on Twitter came together to raise thousands of shillings for a cleaning lady who found herself on the receiving end of an online bullying incident on February 4, 2020. 

The woman, Lucy Gatimu, who regularly markets her door-to-door cleaning service on the social media platform, had replied to a tweet in which a user by the name 'Osama Otero' had advised Kenyans to purchase uniforms for struggling children they met walking to and from school.

The Twitter user had then resorted to shaming her, advising that she should sell her phone to buy uniform for the children, a matter that infuriated Kenyans who came together to help settle her costs.

A day after, staff from Ariel detergent paid Mama Fua a visit with presents and hinted that they would work with her in the future.

"We were thrilled to pay Lucy Gatimu – Mama Fua a visit today. We gave her money for her children’s school fees, uniforms, products to empower her business and more. We look forward to continuing working with her and other hardworking Ariel customers in the future," the brand tweeted on Wednesday, February 5.

Stevo Simple Boy

Stivo Simple Boy is a budding musician popular for his song, Vijana Tuache Mihadarati, an exhortation to the youth to stay off drugs.

While he had been singing for quite some time, his lucky break came when someone recorded a video of him singing to the Mihadarati acapella that immediately became a sensation.

Stevo Simple Boy has since gone ahead to record several tracks including Ndoa and Ukimwi which have been received quite well in the social scene.

He has also featured on several TV and radio interviews that have boosted his profile into one of the most recognizable artists in Kenya.

Jose The Witnesser

Jose the Witnesser is the voice behind the Ni Kama Ndrama Ni Kama Vindio fame.

Jose, whose name is Joseph Mburu, became an overnight sensation after he was featured in a TV interview narrating an accident which he had allegedly witnessed.

"So walikuwa wezi kwa gari, me I was there pare kwa car wash. I witnessed ni kama ndrama ni kama vindeo. (There were thieves in the vehicle and I was at the car wash. Everything looked a dramatic scene from the movies)," he told the media. 

What won Kenyans over was his apparent accent, a factor that allowed him to get into the advertising industry and make a killing out of his comical prowess.

Just like Mama Serikali, Jose landed several high-profile commercials with leading telcos, and also launched a music career with several songs under his belt.

Nadia Mukami

Nadia had been in the music industry since 2015, but her big break came when she performed next to Suzanna Owiyo on Churchill show in 2017.

The fourth-year student and Maseno University got a chance to share the stage with the veteran musician where they did an acapella version of the song, Si Rahisi, immediately gaining countrywide recognition.

It was not too long until the polished version of the tune was released, then another and another after that, and soon, she transformed from the barely known musician to gracing Coke Studio Africa.

Nadia is known for her strong vocals, the poetic feel around her music that makes her art stand out.

Among some of her well-known hits are Radio Love alongside Arrow Boy and Lola alongside Masauti.

Former K24 TV presenter, Serah Ndanu Teshna, landed a new TV role and will be making a comeback to the screens as a host.

Ndanu, who used to host K24 Alfajiri, announced her departure from the station in May 2019.

According to a Twitter announcement on Wednesday, February 5, the presenter will be hosting a reality show dubbed Next Super Star - a talent competition. 

"The top three will star in a feature film that will premier in cinemas around the world. The show premiers on Monday, February 17 on Rembo TV," Teshna tweeted.

Nick Mutuma, a Kenyan actor and emcee, is among the producers of the show. 

"We're proud to announce that our first TV production premiers on February 17. Thousands of Kenyans, young and old, auditioned in front of our judges for a chance to be the next superstar and star in a feature film," Mutuma also tweeted.

The judges in the show are award-winning Kenyan actor Raymond Ofula and actress Neomi Nganga. Ofula and Mutuma are famous for starring in Shuga, a television drama series that was first aired in November 2009 on MTV Base.

On Thursday, December 5, 2019, Serah Ndanu took up a new acting role in a drama series, Pieces of Us, on NTV, aired on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.

"For me, when it comes to accepting roles, it’s always about the challenge and also about the kind of message I’m selling out there. After being inactive in the film/TV industry for almost two years, I wanted to come back and do something that was more impactful," she intimated via a statement sent to Kenyans.co.ke.

In 2017, she played Trizzy in the award-winning drama-comedy series Sue na Jonnie.

The presenter has won numerous awards as an outstanding actress including Best Lead Actress in 2011 and 2012 during the Kalasha Film Awards.

In 2019, another reality show, East Africa's Got Talent (EAGT) made its debut in East Africa years after its mother television format, Got Talent rocked fans in America, Britain, Australia and other African countries (Nigeria and South Africa).

The show, which was aired on Citizen TV, had Jeff Koinange (Kenya), Gaetano Kwagana (Uganda), Vanessa Mdee (Tanzania), and DJ Contact Makeda (Rwanda) as judges.

Esther Muteesasira and Ezekiel Muteesasira from Uganda won the grand prize of $ 50,000 dollars (approximately Ksh5 million). 

Lupita Nyong'o is by far one of the most gifted actresses in the US. From the silver screen, being a fashion icon to an unprofessional rapper, her star is growing day by day.

However, for the Oscar award-winner, her recent success comes one of her previous dislikes. Lupita is a best-selling author through her book, Sulwe, which portrays a powerful, moving picture about colourism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty lies within.

In an interview with BBC, on Tuesday, February 4, filmed at Harris Sixth Form College in London, she disclosed how she didn't like reading when she was young.

Lupita had the institution to mentor young women on leadership and the importance of literacy, in an event hosted by the National Literacy Trust.

"Well when I was growing up, I didn't like reading, but I was surrounded by books at all times and I didn't know how to read. But as I grew older I realised that with reading comes comprehension and confidence. And I think those are two qualities that are really important as you get into the workforce and find your place in the world.

Lupita recalled that reading was also crucial in acting as she had to research about her movie roles. 

"I had to study coding for a film I was doing and Lord knows I'm not a scientist at all, but I had to study it," she recalled.

Sulwe is a dark-skinned girl who goes on an adventure and awakens with a reimagined sense of beauty. The dark-skinned girl encounters lessons that children learn and then spends the rest of her life unlearning.

For Lupita, she was inspired to write the New York bestseller when she realised that books could represent all people and not only one colour.

"When I was younger, one of the things that didn't help my dislike of reading was the fact that not a lot of the books that I was reading were relevant to my immediate life, to my immediate world. You know, my geography and history books were British. I realised you know what, books don't have to be about white people, they can actually represent all people. 

"When you are reading stories that have themes and characters that are relevant to your world, then you are more likely to stick with it longer because you can see the ways in which it is applicable to your life," Lupita asserted.

In November 2019, the Walk of Fame Class of 2019 inductee broke into tears when she was asked to read out a prayer from her book titled Sulwe. 

In the interview with Oprah Winfrey, she stated that she would say the prayer to herself when she felt unattractive.

She then grabbed a napkin and used it to wipe her tears before proceeding with the interview.

"This is a story for little ones, but no matter the age I hope it serves as an inspiration for everyone to walk with joy in their own skin.

Award-winning boy band Sauti Sol, on Thursday, January 30, revealed that they had signed their first-ever record deal with the world's leading music company, Universal Music Group (UMG).

In a celebratory post on Instagram, the Lazizi hitmakers shared their joy at signing up with a world leader in the music industry.

"It's official! Our first major label deal, Thank you guys for being patient. We really hope y'all are ready for the new album," the post reads.

This makes them the first Kenyan artists to be taken up by the universal music giants.

The international recording company has it's African offices in South Africa as well as Nigeria.

They now join the elite group of other megastars signed under the label such as Tekno, Vanessa Mdee, Mr Eazi, Tiwa Savage, Stonebwoy and Diamond Platnumz.

The band is one of today’s most successful bands across Africa and is considered to be a pioneer of an innovative 'solful' sound.

 

As part of their ‘legacy project’ they launched their own recording label, Sol Generation Records, under which they have already signed and unveiled a new generation of stars such as Bensoul and Nviiri the Storyteller.

Under their record label, Chimano serves as the creative director and head creative for visuals and image, Bien and Savara handle artistes and their repertoire (songwriting), digital strategy production and business development while Polycarp handles bookings and publishing.

“Our motivation to start Sol Generation was born out of the need to build a legacy bigger than Sauti Sol’s. We want to provide a platform and a proper foundation for younger artists to prosper and experience our level of success in a shorter period of time,” Bien revealed in a past interview.

They have steadily built their professional structures, experience, and brand both locally and internationally.

In 2016, they made history by being the first musicians to run a successful week-on-week nationwide tour.

An Endeared Kenyan musician, producer and music composer was involved in a freak accident on Friday night, January 24.

Magix Enga, famed for gengetone hits such as Banana and Twa Twa took to social media to announce that he was also robbed in the accident in Nairobi. 

Through an Instagram post, the hitmaker further alleged that he was rescued by a police officer from Jogoo House (National Police Service headquarters).

This happened jana usiku nikitoka job (This incident occurred yesterday night-January 24 on my way from work). Thanks to this cop from Jogoo House alifika on time (the police officer arrived on time). Although the guys who did this managed to take whatever was in the car.

"Thank God I’m alive to see another day and make more hits," the producer stated. 

He went on to urge his fans to pray for him.

"Pray for me. I have chest pains and headache," he informed. 

The musician's car was rammed from behind forcing it to veer off into a guardrail. Its rear was ripped apart while its bonnet cramped up. The car's headlights and taillights also broke. 

Efforts to reach out to the producer were in vain. 

Elsewhere, two people died on Saturday morning, January 25, after a Nairobi-bound bus was involved in a road accident at Ngokomi area, near Sultan Hamud Town on the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway.

Makueni County Police Commander Joseph ole Naipeiyan stated that the driver lost control and veered off the road

"The vehicle veered off the road before falling on one side, killing a 25-year-old man and a one-year-old baby," Naipeiyan stated in a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke. 

He added that four others had incurred serious injuries while 14 more escaped with minor bruises and were being attended to at Kilome Hospital.

The two bodies were taken to Kilome mortuary.

Oscar-award winning actress Lupita Nyong'o stole the show when she elegantly stepped out wearing a $3.5 million (approximately Ksh 353 million) Forevermark diamond jewel.

She also wore a Louis Vuitton dress embellished with 20,000 sequins and 12,000 glass beads, when she graced the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Sunday, January 19. Louis Vuitton is a French fashion house and luxury retail. 

An exclusive by Hollywood Reporter stated that Lupita was dressed by fashion stylist Micaele Erlanger, as she battled renowned actress Renée Zellweger for Outstanding Performance in the Los Angeles' based awards.

Lupita was nominated for her starring role in the horror movie, Us. She, however, lost to Zellweger. 

Her gown was created by Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière and took almost 1,400 hours to complete embellishing the sequins and glass beads on it, and over 106 hours to cut and assemble the dress from a pattern.

"We’ve been working on this for months, since before Thanksgiving. 

"We really wanted to harness the elegance and timelessness and modernity that Lupita embodies and values," Erlanger disclosed.

To complement her elegant look, Lupita wore three rings with more than 23 carats of diamonds, and two bracelets with more than 33 carats of diamonds. 

"I've selected Forevermark many times over the years not only for the beautiful diamonds, but I also love their commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability, which is so important to me and my clients. One of her rings is worth a million dollars. Basically, the girl’s dripping in jewels!" the stylist enthusiastically proclaimed. 

Lupita marched her dressing with black “vanity case” bag and black satin, caged booties (shoes) with a peep toe.

"They have a number of buckles up the side, so they’re a very confident shoe that modernises the look, and the belt is cool and adds a little bite to the outfit” Erlanger stated.

Clocking over four decades on television and in the minds of Kenyans is not a mean feat, as Mary Khavere, popularly known as Mama Kayai who is arguably one of the most recognized faces on Kenyan television, can attest.

Speaking to The Standard on September 26, 2019, she narrated that her climb to the top had not been easy, and neither was her stay there.

"I started out as a traditional dancer and singer with a group known as The Black Golden Stars, in Majengo, Pumwani where I lived. They were so talented at singing and dancing to traditional music," she narrated.

She met Mzee Ojwang' (Benson Wanjau)  and Lucy Wangui (who played a judge on Vioja Mahakamani), during her acting auditions and her career started taking shape.

Mama Kayai would later start off in 1980, in a show identified as Darubini before moving on to Vioja Mahakamani and Vitimbi alongside Mzee Ojwang, a role she is most well known for.

Speaking to the publication, however, she revealed that she made tough choices that cemented her place in the world of theatre.

Despite the emergence of many TV stations as time progressed, Mama Kayai stuck to the state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), where her career started.

“I believe my consistency on TV and the fact that I never jumped from one television program to another enabled ‘Mama Kayai’ to become a brand,” she was quoted.

She narrated that with time, however, it would be hard for current actors to stamp their names in the hall of fame.

“Back then, we ventured into acting because we were passionate about it. That is why we lasted that long in the industry despite the little pay. Many young people get into acting for fame and money – that is why some productions lack quality and end up not making sense.

“It is sad to see actors jumping from one program to the next. That is why they fail to establish themselves as brands,” she explained.

Mama Kayai has won numerous awards due to her long career, including a Kalasha Award and Induction into the Riverwood Hall of Fame in September 2018.