Popular comedian Daniel Ndambuki alias Churchill, on Sunday, on March 16, aired the most bizarre episode of his popular comedy show.
Dubbed the quarantine edition, the highly-rated comedian took to the stage at the South C's MoW Sports Club, and performed to an empty hall.
Churchill was forced to cancel the live recording of the show which was slated for Saturday, March 14, due to the government's directive on public events occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic.
A regular ticket goes for Ksh1,000, with the VIP ticket setting you back Ksh2,000. Sources revealed that the show attracts an average of 6,000 people per event.
The VIP section takes up a third of the total number of people. Ignoring the complimentary tickets factor, the show rakes in an average of Ksh8 million from gate charges.
Fans who had already bought tickets to the show will have to hold on to them and use them when the ban is lifted and the show can have a live audience.
“We wish to inform our loyal customers who have purchased their tickets that the South C Edition will still happen at a later date and your ticket remains valid," a representative from Laugh Industry, the company behind the show told The Standard.
This means the revenue generated from ticket sales for this particular episode becomes differed income, or unearned income - an accounting term for money earned for goods or services which have not yet been delivered - according to the revenue recognition principle in accounting, it is recorded as a liability until delivery is made (or in Churchill Show's case, when the show is staged), at which time it is converted into revenue.
One by one, the show's comedians took to the stage and tried their best to crack the ribs of an imaginary crowd.
This was the first time since its premiere in 2007 at the Carnivore grounds, that the show was performed in front of an empty hall.
The government has since come out with another statement directing citizens to to avoid congregating in places of worship, minimise attendance in social gatherings including weddings and funerals.
In the statement read out by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday, March, 15, Kenyans were asked to avoid crowded places including shopping malls and entertainment premises, as well as minimise visiting hospitalised patients in public and private hospitals.
This new directive is set to have a direct impact on businesses across the country whose core service involves personal contact with their target clientele.
In Mombasa, nightclub and bar owners are still trying to figure out how to stay afloat following the March 14, directive by Governor Ali Hassan Joho who ordered the closure of such establishments for a period of 30 days.
With eateries, shopping malls, offices, banks, churches, mosques, schools, and colleges, identified as high-risk areas, it is expected that a majority of Kenyans will steer clear of such areas, consequently, this will have have an adverse effect on business establishments dependent of the foot-traffic availed by malls for survival.
On their part, the Churchill Show cast urged Kenyans to observe the highest level of precaution as the country braces itself to combat the virus.
Watch Churchill Show comedians performing to an empty hall:
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