Category: Money

Ringtone’s antics are doing more damage to the gospel industry than Bahati and Willy Paul ever did

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Ringtone Apoko is one of the most divisive musicians in Kenya. The artiste is one of the most consistent gospel singers around as he keeps releasing great music that Christians can rally around.

But he is super-frustrating for me! Why? His constant need to keep himself in the spotlight detracts from the message in his music.

Just this week, Mr. Apoko decided to complain about God not giving him a BMW I8 he had fasted and prayed for. The gospel singer had previously promised that if God doesn’t gift him the car in 4 weeks, he would quit gospel music.

He added that during that period, he would go into fasting and prayer for God to gift him the ride. ”BREAKING NEWS 🔥 🔥 🔥 RINGTONE QUITES NOW 🔥 🔥 🔥 AM SORRY PLEASE🙏🙏🙏 AM PRAY AND GOD IS REFUSE TO GRANT MY PRAYER NOW AM QUITE IMMEDIATELY SEE U AGAIN GOD WILLING 😭😭”

“As a young man, I wanted to marry an older Mzungu woman” Ringtone comes clean

He has not been clear as to whether he will keep his promise to quit gospel music or not. In the video he posted on his Gram, he said something contrary to what he has written. ”Looks like Jesus decided to embarrass me.”

In the same video, he goes on to say that he had already bought a helicopter. How can he buy a helicopter and fail to buy a BMW I8? This was the same thought that comedian Jalang’o had. He replied to Ringtone. ”Chairman you will kill me with wisdom…You just bought helicopter but you cant buy BMW i8?”

My thoughts

And this is what saddens me. The man is clearly a good singer who can let his art speak for him but keeps on having to resort to publicity stunts to keep Kenyans engaged.

And I believe that his music is good enough to warrant play without any of the shenanigans that he keeps on propagating.

It ends up lessening him and his music contrary to the effect former gospel artistes Willy Paul and Bahati have when they court controversy to sell their music.

But what do I know…

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Pascal Tokodi comes clean on why he doesn’t speak about his religious beliefs(exclusive)

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

This week I spoke to Pascal Tokodi. The man spoke about his 2020 and reminisced on the best and most difficult moments in the crazy year that had passed.

He said that his highlight for the year was winning an award last year for best supporting actor at an international awards show.

“I have a couple but in terms of career, it was winning the Africa Magic best-supporting actor in Nigeria. Remember that it was right before, right before! My flight was the day before the airlines were closed due to Covid-19.”

And in his personal life, did he also have a high? Yes, he did. The actor told me being with his base Grace Ekirapa was his personal high.

Grace is everything that I have been looking for – Pascal Tokodi gushes (Exclusive)

And what about the lows. Obviously, Covid-19 has affected most Kenyans and Pascal was quick to point that out, telling me, “Every musician is been affected by the curfew. There is a huge percentage of earning for creatives that comes from nightlife.”

Adding that,

“It has disturbed a lot of stuff but at the same time, there is the issue of safety, like with the new strain of Corona. We are living in dangerous times. I hope that we can still make a living and still keep safe.”

I also asked the entertainer what his plans were for 2021? He said that he has made it a habit of keeping that close to his chest until he has achieved it.

“I will speak about it in 2022. I want to be able to proclaim that a target that I set in 2021 had been achieved. You first dig the shamba and plant the seeds. You never know how many of those seeds will germinate and fruit. So you have to take a wait and see approach.”

One area in his life that Pascal doesn’t touch on is his spiritual beliefs. I asked him whether he was a born-again Christian especially as he dating Ekirapa who has been quite open about her religious beliefs.

On that, he was also said it was a personal thing that he didn’t want to speak on. “About being born-again. I don’t speak about religion. Too many people’s opinions, let me stay with my own,” he said.

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“If anyone can have it, I don’t want it!” Tanasha says as beef with Huddah escalates

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

The Huddah Monroe and Tanasha Donna situation seems to be getting each day. For those of you not apprised of the beef, it all started after Alhuddah threw some shade Tanasha’s way after Diamond’s baby mama celebrated becoming the most followed Kenyan female on Instagram.

Is Huddah right in trolling Tanasha after she became Kenyan’s most followed Instagrammer?

She added that such things no longer matter if there is no money in it. The post read; “Lol! So funny how in 2021 people still fight for who is most followed in Kenya/Africa or has most likes lol!

Adding;

But what’s your BANK BALANCE? Darliing? In this side of town we evolved! Even companies know followers don’t mean buyers 90% of the time esp in Africa cause most just follow for gossip and lurking! Otherwise we would have small businesses going to the moon outchea.”

And Tanasha was having none of it. True to form she came back with her own fire, by taking a swipe at Huddah’s career by saying, “If anyone can have it, I don’t want it,”

Ouch! Don’t forget that Huddah has previously admitted to sleeping with older men for money. Tanasha’s diss seems to have done the trick as the entrepreneur who spends a lot of time in Dubai tried to distance herself from claims pointing out that her initial post was aimed at Tanasha Donna.

In her passive-aggressive post, the former Big Brother Africa contestant rubbished the claims while also laughing of Tanasha’s response. She wrote, “If you have pus*y, I have. If it’s beauty I have it. So what’s to be envious of? Followers? Lol!”

Despite her statement, many fans in Tanasha’s comment section said that Miss Monroe was the victim of the green-eyed monster, now that Tanasha had surpassed her with the most followed Instagram account in the country.

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Is Huddah right in trolling Tanasha after she became Kenyan’s most followed Instagrammer?

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Tanasha Donna might be celebrating becoming the first Kenyan woman to hit 3 million followers on Instagram. Eric Omondi already is Kenya’s most-followed Instagram celeb with 3.2 million fans.

This was something that she was quick to enthuse about, praising her online family with the caption below,

Thank you for the 3M. Love you guys so much! ❤️❤️

 

But while many were quick to congratulate her, former friend or should I call her new enemy Huddah Monroe was quick to burst her bubble, with her post coming right after Tanasha’s announcement.

Huddah’s post just came moments after Tanasha’s new win; and you can’t blame us for thinking the two posts could be related.

Miss Monroe is seen trolling those who claim to have huge IG followers; yet the followers do nothing for them.
According to Huddah, times have changed and followers no longer matter unless they help generate money for you.

She wrote; “Lol! So funny how in 2021 people still fight for who is most followed in Kenya/Africa or has most likes lol! Can walk the talk?

She even added, “But what’s your BANK BALANCE? Darling? In this side of town we evolved! Even companies know followers don’t mean buyers 90% of the time esp in Africa cause most just follow for gossip and lurking! Otherwise, we would have small businesses going to the moon outchea.”

Is what Huddah is saying true? Yes, but partially. There is more nuance to that.

Firstly, brands will always want to be associated with a brand influencer with large numbers. Always. This normally translates to reach for a company that uses the influencer to promote the page just like Eric Omondi, Kate Actress and even Huddah herself.

The second thing that brands will look for is engagement by an influencer’s fans on the influencer’s page. There are Instagram pages online that have fewer than 100k followers but have great engagement with their followers. This means that a product that the influencer promotes will most likely have better traction with his/her followers such as Just Ivy and Edgar Obare.

Most companies prefer that the brand influencers they use have both of the above. Examples of entertainers with both reach and engagement are, Eric Omondi, Elsa Majimbo and Jalang’o. Their rate cards reflect the power and clout they have in reaching and influencing a demographic.

Now back to Tanasha. While her engagement might not be great, her numbers reflect an eagerness for the public to engage with her.

This is where professional brand management is critical for her. She needs people who can sell her beyond just being Diamond’s baby mama and a lukewarm singer. That is what will turn her brand from just being popular to being lucrative.

But I could be wrong…

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She took a back seat for the sake of the family! Rufftone praises wife (Exclusive)

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Rufftone is one musician who will be remembered by all sundry in Kenya as a man who pushed the gospel industry forward in leaps and bounds.

The man who is married and has 2 kids with his wife has served his industry without causing controversy while still being respected, something many in the industry can learn from him.

Unlike what the public knows and likes about him, I asked the artiste in a recent interview how he would like his wife and kids to remember him when all is said and done?

He replied,

“I was born in this generation to impact people to the cross and to encourage my peers to get born again. That is why I was born. The Bible says, ‘David served well in his generation’. Even me I want to serve well in my generation by speaking about the cross of Christ without fear or favour.”

He added,

“I have a new song-a collabo with my wife which we are releasing this month of February. It’s called Usiniache. My wife and I have been out of the scene for a couple of years, particularly my wife. One of the last songs I did was Mungu Baba and now it’s been 7 years.”

Rufftone with his wife
Rufftone with his wife

And he didn’t stop there yet. The man went on to praise his lovely wife saying, “I am championing my wife. You know she’s been so good. She took a back seat for the sake of the family. Now it’s time for her to resurface.”

Listen to the audio of the musician speaking about the above below:

 

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“It was a bad year that came with unique break-throughs”-Eddie Butita narrates(exclusive)

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Eddie Butita became a household name when he started featuring on Churchill Show. The man has leveraged the fame and has progressed with verve and vigour since then.

Like most Kenyans, Eddie had an interesting 2020 after the craziness that Covid-19 wrecked. In a recent interview I did with him, Eddie spoke about it and has some surprising insights.

He told me that it had been a mixed year for him. “It was a bad year that came with unique break-throughs. I just discovered other avenues. I think it opened up new avenues as far as art is concerned. Like in 2019, there was a way that we were making money. In 2020, other ways opened up that didn’t exist before.”

He saw the silver lining about 2020, telling me, “If things come back to normal, we have new doors that opened and old doors that we were used to. My digital business really grew in terms of inquiries and business. And the reason for that was because most clients only had that avenue for marketing their products. They weren’t able to do below-the-line, on-ground activations.”

‘Thank you for believing in me,’ Eddie Butita tells Larry Madowo as he leaves NTV

Eddie has now decided to change the way he conducts feature business after the lessons he learnt last year.

“It also taught me to scale down when doing live events. It showed us that there is a way to minimise on costs and make more money. Either we do digital alone or combine both in the future. In fact, I got a Eureka moment where my thought was how to get a bigger audience to the masses that aren’t present. Having a concert in Nairobi, how do we reach people who aren’t in Nairobi? People who are willing to watch and pay.”

But while there was a lot of progress physically, the shows where he could get quick cash (like an impromptu weekend show) went down drastically.”

Another positive for the thespian was that the pandemic made him start saving more while also divesting in other industries that were fully running like food.

Please listen to the comedian speak about the story above below:

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Niliomoka! Humble comedian Paul Kimani says about his blessed 2020(exclusive)

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Paul Kimani Njoroge aka MCA Tricky is one of the best and most influential comedians in  Kenya. The man has been working hard to leave his mark on the industry.

In a recent interview with the comedian, Tricky spoke about the previous year. He concluded that it was one of his best years so far.

“2020 was my biggest year for me. As an artist, this was the year I nearly omokad! Me I can’t place myself with other people who had a tough year. God can be upset with me. God opened for me doors that I didn’t expect. I got a radio job and I got several big endorsements. I want to say thank you to those guys who trusted me when every artist was down, they stood with me.”

And what was the reason for this?

“The way the country closed down due to Covid-19 restrictions, clients and advertisers moved to the digital space because the mainstream methods were a little restricted. Today, I can say I am proud that my brand was seen by the biggest of all, from Multichoice in South Africa, GoTv and DSTV and I am still working with them. From the time Corona came, these brands started working with me and they are still working with me. Safaricom and Tecno were also there with me all through.”

He attributed his success to the way he had been able to position himself digitally before the pandemic hit Kenyans.

“The success happened to the brands that were strong on the interwebs. You can see all the years that I had invested in the past, paid off. It was a blessing in disguise all the work I had done on my digital platforms.”

But while the comedian is happy with his own successes that doesn’t mean he isn’t cognisant of the ways some other Kenyans have been struggling.

“The only reason I cannot celebrate it so much is that this life isn’t an individual one. I can see the cries from my friends, close friends and people in my neighbourhood, the way people have been affected. So I wasn’t happy with that aspect.”

And what were his plans for this year? “On a personal level, it was good…Omokaing is number one. This year I have dedicated it to two things; First, I want to rebrand. I want to get back to stand-up comedy like never before.”

Please listen to the audio of the above below:

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Shamed Tanasha finally apologises to make-up artiste and pays her

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Singer Tanasha Donna has been in the news recently over an embarrassing allegation that she had refused to pay a bill to make-up artist Zena Glam (Sylvia), amounting to Sh15K.

Tanasha had allowed the molehill to turn into a mountain and had subsequently gotten bad press as she ignored the allegations from Zena.

This had made the former Ebru TV Presenter Dana de Grazia, buckle down producing receipts for her friend, Zena to prove her accusations.

But it seems that Miss Donna doesn’t want to sow bad karma and decided to clear the bill, taking full responsibility for the incident with an explanation that she rarely handles her finances, during video shoots.

The bill in question is said to have been incurred during the Kalypso video shoot in November last year.

“Let me make one thing clear. It’s just came to my attention recently that one of the makeup artistes for my previous videos payment wasn’t made, as I never personally handle anything to do with finances for my projects myself. I have a team for that, however I understand that my name is the one that will be in jeopardized and obviously not my person handling my finances! Had I known this earlier, this would have been long sorted. I would like to state that the payment has been made. I apologize on behalf of myself and my team for my inconveniences caused., this was not done deliberately, our schedules have been extremely hectic recently, however it’s no excuse,” said Tanasha Donna.

Ms. Donna’s statement comes days after Diamond’s baby mama was raked over the coals by Kenyans after the allegations surfaced.

After the bill was cleared, Ms. Grazia went back to report that her friend had received the cash and her public outcry was not aimed at ruining anyone’s reputation.

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I was in rehab for 3 months! Omosh explains problems after Covid pandemic

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Former Tahidi High actor Joseph Kinuthia, better known as Omosh has seen the impact that goodwill from Kenyans can do for someone in so short a span of time.

The man revealed on Thursday last week that he was suffering financially and couldn’t pay his rent or even pay the fees for his kids.


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A post shared by JALANG’O (@jalangoo)

But after Jalang’o’s mobilization effort, things seem to be turning a corner for him as Kenyans from all walks of life have come together to help him.

Kenyans pledge more than Ksh 1 million in 24 hours for Omosh after Jalang’o initiative

Omosh had revealed that after the closure of Tahidi High, he had saved Kshs 140,000 but when COVID struck, he used it all up but sadly with most of it going to alcohol.

That was not all. The man would soon be taken to rehab for 3 months by his sister. ”Mi nishakuwa rehab. Siste aliona uyu jamaa anadedi. Haraka haraka, rehab. Nikakaa miezi tatu.”


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A post shared by JALANG’O (@jalangoo)

After rehab, Omosh reveals things became worse and he got even more broke.

The actor is now overwhelmed by how much his fans still support him. They only hope that he won’t spend all the money on alcohol again. All the best to him as he re-organizes his life.


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A post shared by JALANG’O (@jalangoo)

I hope that he can use the new lease of life he has received to turn his life around completely and we see the end of this sad episode.

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“Does Mukhisa Kituyi stand a chance to become president?” Maina asks Kenyans

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

This morning Maina Kageni spoke on a topic that has the potential to change many Kenyans lives in a big way-the announcement by Mukhisa Kituyi that he would be running for the presidency in 2022.

The man who was the UNCTAD secretary-general has tendered his resignation as he focuses on his presidential ambitions.

Kituyi had announced in January that he will be among the Kenyans seeking the top leadership seat during the 2022 General Election. “Does Mukhisa Kituyi stand a chance?” Maina asked Kenyans?

Many Kenyans were cynical concerning the academician’s chances for the top job, although they conceded that he would probably be the best candidate.

Some of the comments are below:

Kenyans have peculiar habits. Voting in the wrong person. Unfortunately, Mukhisa will come a distant 5th. Mwalimu Dida will come 4th. Prof Kibwana #6

He shouldn’t have resigned, this is Kenya!

Personally i will vote for him. He looks sober and he was part of kibaki team that took kenyan economy to great level b4 other clueless leaders came and brought the ecomony to its knees.

He is the best candidate if we go for issue based politics. Unfortunately, the electorate is accustomed to lies, handouts and tribal alignments.

The likes of Kalembe, Sonko and Waititu can get more votes…….

He has the chance to be the president of Kenya but the kind of politics we’ve in Kenya won’t allow him…

As kiminini mp, yes.

Kwanza ambieni huyo kituyi abandike picha zake kwa bill board in all the counties tupate kumtambua.

Big Noo. Tell him not to even try…

Stop Giving hope where there is non…

Watu lazima wachangamke let’s be wise, mk plus kivutha kibwana kk this are leaders not politician for comedy’s.

Not even the slimmest of chances! Who was his father? Sadly Kenya ni ya ma dynasties bwana!!!

Kenyans loves vipindirees na yeye akona ulumumba mob.

No one can change the will of God.

Good morning Maina, Mukhisa Kituyi is a real definition of a true leader but Kenyans won’t lend him a chance to meet his presidential ambitions.

Ako na potential but the system won’t allow him.

Mukhisa Kituyi: I will not talk about corruption, I’ll punish

Big Noo. Tell him not to even try..

Watu lazima wachangamke let’s be wise, mk plus kivutha kibwana kk this are leaders not politician for comedy’s .

Stop Giving hope where there is non ..

Not even the slimmest of chances! Who was his father? Sadly Kenya ni ya ma dynasties bwana!!!

Kenyans loves vipindirees na yeye akona ulumumba mob.

He is too western.

Ajaribu tu.

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Kenyans pledge more than Ksh 1 million in 24 hours for Omosh after Jalang’o initiative

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Media personality Jalang’o has shown the power and influence that he has after celebs and Kenyans successfully raised upwards of  Sh1 million shillings for Ex-Tahidi High Actor Omosh.

This came a day after Jalang’o promised that he would seek to raise the amount for the struggling thespian. In an update, the Kiss 100 Presenter shared a detailed statement of all the pledges he had already received totaling to Sh1, 050, 000, plus Sh20K shopping voucher, free bed, seats and a TV.


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A post shared by JALANG’O (@jalangoo)

On Thursday this past week, Kenyans were moved to tears after Omosh revealed that he had been depending on his friends to provide for his family.

“Life has been so difficult. I cannot provide meals for my family. My children are even wondering what has become of me…There is nothing as hard as waking up every morning and there is nowhere I am going. You see people going to work and coming back and you have nowhere to go. It is very painful,” said Omosh.


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A post shared by JALANG’O (@jalangoo)

On Sunday, Gospel singer Guardian Angel and his wife Esther Musila added to the celebs helping the actor after they paid a courtesy call on the celebrated actor at his home.

Here is breakdown of the money raised by Jalang’o.

“Hii story ya Omosh Nataka tumalize mapema on Tuesday… I have a few friends that have promised me that all will be fine.

1. My guys from @safvicfurnitureenterprises are giving me a bed, seats and a Tv table

2. My Guys from @quickmartkenya are giving me a 20k shopping voucher for him and his family

3. Incoming senator Tranzoia county @allanchesang is giving me 100K

4. My able chairman @jamal_rohosafi is also giving me 100k

5. Omosh ako na madeni rent yake watu wa @mwananchi_creditltd wamesema they will clear that is 100k

6. I called my brother @joho_001 akasema from that 1million for 1 million followers atatoa 100k

7. My team from Chandaria led by my boss @darshanchandaria amesema 100k yake nichukue kesho jioni

8. The real boss himself who made us who we are Ww…Waruru wachira! Boss himself has promised me another 100k

7. Team Miale @mialle72 have said that 50k will not be bad

8. #JengaNaAlexNaJalas @alex_na_jalas 50k

9. My guy called Titan from @jamexexpress has promised me 50k

10. The best sauce in town @kensauceofficial wamesema 100k is fine!

11. @trippygotours Nakujia 50k kesho

12. My guys from the best biscuit @yegobakers wamesema kesho nipitie nichukue 50k haraka saana

……KEEP THEM COMING!!

PAYBILL NUMBER COMING UP!!

#ThisIsForOmosh

[email protected] …my brother is giving me 50k

14. SOMALI BAE @honalinur 50k”

Wow! So impressive!

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My collabo with Davido nearly bankrupted me – Diamond Platnumz reveals

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz’s life at the moment looks like a bed of roses but what many might not know is the sacrifices that he had to make to get to where he is at the moment.

The man was born dirt poor with even one of his early music videos being done in a sewage dump! That’s how bad it was for Chibu.

But things seem perfect for him today yet,  according to him it could have gone awry in 2013. The singer recently explained how his 2013 collabo with Nigerian singer Davido for “Number One” remix cost him a lot of money. The video which was released in January 2014 has garnered 43 million views on YouTube as at the moment.

The far-thinking singer thought that it was wise to conquer West Africa having won East Africa and Davido was his best bet for his project.

“He’s made it” Maina says about Diamond being hired to sing Happy Birthday

But the collabo would require a lot of cash from him nearly leaving him bankrupt as he spent almost 20 times more than what he was used to with his previous projects.

“Before doing the first video version of Number One at Ogopa Djs in Nairobi, my video cost used to be about KSh 326, 000 per video. With Number One, I went ten times higher and spent KSh 3.3 million or thereabout to fly Ogopa Djs video crew to Cape Town, South Africa, and shoot my video. The outcome was amazing, and that gave me the green light to approach Davido for a remix,” Diamond said.

Because the video cost was so much for him, he had to approach several banks for loans to see through “Number One” video, “I took loans from Tanzania banks to finance my video and collaboration with Davido in Lagos because I had to travel there with my crew,” Diamond added.


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A post shared by Davido (@davido)

He clarified that the money spent on the project nearly made him go broke but that it had been worth it as the collabo with Davido opened doors for him a new market and opportunities which gave him the money to jump-start his label WCB.

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I spent 60k on useless gift for my son! Corazon Kwamboka shocks fans

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

For a long time socialite, Corazon Kwamboka never thought that she would ever be blessed enough to have the precious gift of being called mother.

That was due to the medical condition called endometriosis that had robbed her of her hope of having her own biological children.

But good for her that she was able to meet a man like Frankie Kiarie whose swimmers seemed to have done the trick and now the couple has a 6-month old boy called Taiyari.

As most new mothers, Miss Kwamboka has gone all-in and has done everything within her power to give her new-born the best a child can get.

“If he can’t lift you, he doesn’t deserve you!” Is Corazon Kwamboka right?

That means spending boatloads of money to give her baby the best product available in the market. In a recent Q and A session, the trained lawyer asked her own fans whether they had bought useless stuff for their newborns.

This is after learning that parenting in terms of ‘baby stuff’ is never that serious. The curvy dark-skinned beauty gave her own experience saying that not only had she bought everything she assumed baby Taiyari would need; but added that one of the most expensive gifts she got him is useless – after all.

Using her Instagram page Frankie Just Gym-It’s partner wrote, “I’ll start; A pram/stroller is a total waste of money. Imported mine for a whopping 600$ and can’t even go anywhere with it. It’s just not our culture besides most babies hate staying in them. A complete sham.”

Corazon Kwamboka screenshot 1

And she wasn’t done there, she also added her two cents advising new mums,

“To all incoming mums: my advice is to get whatever the f you like. We are just having fun and venting don’t listen but to you and your babies needs. But don’t buy everything at once…after some time you realize some things are not even necessary.”

Corazon Kwamboka screenshot (1)

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Rufftone reveals his secret of how he had an awesome 2020

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Roy Smith Mwita popularly known by his stage name Rufftone is a musician, Goodwill Ambassador for Public Diplomacy of the Republic of Korea, a graphic designer, and also the founder of Lampstand Music Record.

The singer is one of the veterans in the gospel industry and has paved the way for many other artsites including his younger brother, Daddy Owen.

I spoke to the singer recently and he was a wonderful interview. The first question I asked him was to explain how his 2020 had gone for him?

“2020 was an awesome year. I thank God. Me. I will say that other than live performances, I didn’t have any issue. I even organised an end of year event at the hub, Karen…”

Adding, “The things that I wanted to do, I ended up doing them. I think that I was the only artiste who had an end of year bash. I remember that every other person canceled theirs apart from mine. My concert happened on December 31st. I just pursued my dream. I said that nothing should come in between.”

Was one of the reasons he had an awesome 2020 because of side-hustles he had?

“Yes, I have other things that I am doing. For me, I have always been an entreprenuer. I have always loved doing every other thing that is affiliated to art. So those other hustles kept me afloat during the pandemic.”

Listen to the audio of the mucisian speaking about his 2020 below:

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They have failed us! Listen as Dr Ofweneke calls out government in passionate speech

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Dr Ofweneke is one comedian who loves speaking his mind. He isn’t afraid to air out his controversial viewpoints and he did just that in an interview I had with him recently.

In the interview, Ofweneke called out the government for its poor treatment of the entertainment industry. He told me,

“I can say this confidently. The Kenya government has failed terribly in supporting the creative world in general. And whether they like it or not, we must face it, that we are heading to a world whereby, yes, it’s important to go to school, yes I went to school but we are heading to a world whereby your papers might not mean as much, your papers might end up remaining as a bragging tool.”

Adding,

“Yes, I have a master’s, I have a degree, we are heading into a world where the creatives are going to run the economy of the world. Not only in Kenya. I can tell you seriously if you can check through the Corona period, it was the creative space literally feeding people from the influencers to the tech guys, to the digital content creators, that is what has been carrying the economy.”

The man went all in calling out the failures of the Kenyan government telling me,

“I am ashamed that our government has not come up in any way. The only time that our politicians look for us as entertainers they wanted us to endorse them towards the election because they want to influence the elections, they are a parasite and try and influence us to get votes, then they forget about us.”

Politicians and the government has failed in a major way in ensuring that the entertainment world succeeds. I am looking for a day that government will say, ‘We are going to build social halls and theatre halls in Kenya,  we are going to build state-of-the-art music studios. We are going to equip every constituency with proper video production equipment.’

The father of 3 also gave his opinion on what the Kenyan government should do to help the entertainment industry. He told me,

“We are going to make sure that every county(and not owned by a politician) will own its own radio and TV station. Those are the things I am looking at-Supporting the upcoming comedians and artistes.The same way we devolved the govt, I am looking at how do we devolve the entertainment industry. If we don’t support the creative world in Kenya, we are going to fail.”

He finished by saying,

“And the government should not hide behind Covid. Even look at the moment, we can’t do shows, in the studios we can’t have a live audience yet the politicians are going around talking to us about the BBI. Again the entertainment world hasn’t been told what’s in it for us. They have failed in taking care of the needs of the entertainment world.”

Listen to the audio of a very frustrated Ofweneke speaking about issues his industry if facing below:

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Numbers that matter! Why NCBA bank wants you to ‘Go For It’

Posted on by john arum

NCBA rolled out a creative campaign to demonstrate the real-life impact of its promise to its customers. Dubbed ‘Numbers That Matter’, it tells the customer’s story of real life meaning behind the financial services solutions they have received from NCBA Bank.

Numbers that Matter is anchored in the fundamentals of the NCBA brand – the spirit of “Go For it” and centers the customer’s take, with authentic life moments that happened because they pursued their ambitions.

The three outstanding things about the Numbers That Matter campaign include:

  1. Features the customer at the heart of the creative, celebrating the moments that matter to them by highlighting the Numbers That Matter to them
  2. Underscores NCBA’s commitment to its customers, allowing customers to tell of the authentic and real moments that matter to them
  3. Comes to life in a digital campaign that uses Numbers to tell the story of important everyday moments for customers and connects NCBA customers

“We remain committed to keeping our promise to help our customers Go For It.” said John Gachora, Group Chief Executive, NCBA. “The new Numbers That Matter campaign will increase our ability to listen to our customers, building on the bank’s tradition of stability and reinforcing our commitment to offer our customers more choices.” added Gachora

“More than ever, we recognize customers want to engage NCBA in different ways, and whichever way they want, they want us to listen. Through the Numbers That Matter campaign, we will reach out to our customer, emphasizing that we are listening and intent on helping them Go For It.”.

“The Numbers That Matter is more than an advertising campaign. It’s a culture shift initiative.” said Rosalind Gichuru, Group Director; Marketing Communications and Citizenship, NCBA. “Through this initiative, we bring to life small yet simple actions and behavior that customers can appreciate while interacting with the NCBA brand.

The Numbers That Matter campaign has rolled out in the Kenyan market and is scheduled to do so at various times within the year across the other NCBA markets in the region. NCBA’s brand spirit Go For It was rolled out in October 2019 and the regional bank has since focused on enhancing the customers’ experience through supporting their ambitions.

The Numbers That Matter television brand film was released as part of the campaign launch. The release of the product films will be done sequentially in Quarter 2 of 2021.

However, NCBA customers can expect to immediately share in the excitement of the Numbers That Matter campaign by participating in an immediate online launch experience dubbed “Behind The Numbers, The Code”. Customers will have a chance to win gifts by finding the significance in a few special numbers featured on the NCBA’s campaign microsite.

How to have the easiest money investment in 2021 with ICEA

Posted on by john arum

What are your ambitions for money in 2021? Do you want to save more & earn more? Are you looking to find a savings account that has no fuss? Do you have goals you want to achieve? Do you want to save and diversify your portfolio? It’s never too late to start protecting your wealth and without re-inventing the wheel, you can navigate today’s complex financial landscape. Whatever your desires and plans, there’s a brilliant new solution courtesy of ICEA Lion because they understand that you’re better together.

Introducing DigiTrust, a new online money market fund that encourages Kenyans to easily invest and keep track of their financial goals. This service is accessible via a web portal and mobile USSD code.

Leveraging on technology, the on-boarding process is automated and this has over the years been a challenge in development and uptake of investment products.

“DigiTrust is an innovation that enables individual savers and investors to deposit in and withdraw from ICEA LION’s Money Market Fund on a secure platform,” said Elizabeth Irungu, General Manager for Business Development & Client Relations .

The increased need for investment companies to catch up with the online economy has been called upon by the market severally.

The portal requires a shortened 5 minute activation and requires Sh500 as an initial deposit.

Through the self-service portal, existing customers will be able to deposit, withdraw their funds or view their statements.

ICEA LION Asset Management will kick off on this digital Unit Trust Fund journey with the Money Market Fund.

DigiTrust from ICEA Lion
DigiTrust from ICEA Lion

“Adoption of technology will enable investment sector players offer services at much affordable prices reducing the overall investment cost for retail investors and institutional investors,” said Geoffrey Odundo , CEO Nairobi Securities Exchange.

Odundo noted that access has been one of the key challenges to the uptake of personal investment schemes

The opening up of Unit Trusts to low denomination savings has resulted in the growth and increased popularity of Unit Trust Funds(UTFs) in Kenya, with Assets Under Management (AUM) of Sh66billion as at June 30, 2019, of which, 85 per cent is held in Money Market Funds.

Money Market Unit Trust Funds are the most popular UTFs in Kenya, with 85 per cent of the total AUM in UTFs being held in Money Market Funds.

To get started, dial *793# on your mobile phone or visit the ICEA Lion DigiTrust portal.

Suck it up! A note of encouragement to Natalie Tewa after stopping content creation

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

This week Natalie Tewa made an impromptu appearance back from the social media gulag that she has been willfully confining herself to for the last 6 months.

A spot check done by Classic105 confirmed that the last time the sassy vlogger shared new content on her YouTube channel was more than six months ago (July 1, 2020).

Natalie explained that she had stopped creating content for her travel and lifestyle YouTube channel that because of the negativity she had been receiving.

“I love creating content but lost my love for it because honestly not sure if it’s worth the negativity that comes with it.”

Adding, “Got so many of these… I miss creating content too but my peace is just more important, got tired of being wrongly judged,” responded Natalie.

Asked whether she had quit vlogging, Tewa said that she wasn’t a quitter but didn’t elaborate more on her answer.

Now, what’s the reason for the preamble? 

While I am impressed that Natalie can survive this long without creating (meaning that she isn’t making money), I am left unimpressed with her reason for leaving.

And please before you take a pitchfork hear me out. While mental health is important for someone, we can’t live in a bubble forever and avoid negativity. In fact, we shouldn’t allow people to chase you off something you love doing with their hate/negativity.

Why would I say that? The world is hard. Just look at the negativity most popular celebs in Kenya have to endure. People like Akothee, Kamene Goro and Azziad – just to name a few, are often savaged in their own comment sections and still go back to work. (Yes, growing a social media takes hard work and grit!)

They show what most celebs have come to realise, life is a trade-off. They will make money from their celebrity but will also get hate from some quarters for it. Even Jesus who Christians believe was God had his detractors so much so that they had him killed!

The negativity will come with the territory but so will the countless number of people you will touch with your content (bonus being the money you will make!).

Natalie, suck it up and do what most Kenyans are doing in this horrible economy Uhuru engineered and Covid hastened-Jikaze mama!

But I could be wrong and you should just curl up and…

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