Month: January 2015

The premiere SportPesa Festival will go down on Saturday 31^st January at the Carnivore Grounds from 10:00 a.m. The festival flaunting the best of Kenyan entertainment and artists will feature 14 of the best contemporary Kenyan performers namely Wyre, Nameless, Juacali, Khaligraph Jones, Kristoff, Stella Mwangi (STL), Bahati and Size 8. They will be supported by DJs Pierra, Joe Mfalme, Crème De la Crème and Mo. Kenya’s best comedians Jalang’o and Eric Omondi will also be performing, while Artzone dancers will stun the audience with their crazy moves!

Sauti Sol’s influence has penetrated deep in the country. Little school children made a scene in traffic jam when they spotted the singing quartet.

Nairobi’s traffic can be really annoying especially if you in a vehicle with no gadget on your hand to keep you busy. Three Bells pupils devised a clever way of passing time in a jam.

Upon realising they had been stuck in the jam with Sauti Sol, the young ones decided to show them they were also good at shaking it down the Lipala dance way.

The little dancers swayed their bodies as they showcased their prowess in executing Lipala dance moves. Sauti Sol caught the whole action on camera. Check the video below:

 

These lovely young ladies saw us in traffic and immediately started doing the #lipaladance in their school bus! That absolutely warmed our hearts! #surayako

A video posted by 2014 MTV EMA BEST AFRICAN ACT (@sautisol) on Jan 27, 2015 at 3:17am PST

Jose Chameleone is one of the most celebrated and recognised artistes in East Africa and beyond, thanks to his marvelous exploits in the music industry.

The veteran heartthrob has been in this industry for a decade and half, and he seems to go from strength to strength, as he gives his legion what it deserves in the manner it deserves it.

However, this illustrious career has not been without massive challenges.

Among the many stumbling blocks that have threatened to throw his career into slumber are cheating rumours that keep surfacing each day.

The father of five has been embroiled in controversy after another, with many Ugandan blogs claiming that he is practising infidelity behind the knowledge of his loving wife.

However, the singer has finally spoken to Ghafla and revealed what has been going.

In an exclusive interview with Ghafla Kenya, Chameleone says that he has never cheated on his wife of many years.

The singer added that he has always remained faithful despite the unfortunate rumours peddled around to tarnish his name.

The singer also had soft words for his wife whom he greatly thanks for remaining focused despite the negative publicity he receives at times.

Chameleone added:

Kenyans can really be on your neck especially when you do not dance to their tune or you simply do not conform to their ideals.

This perhaps is the reason why DJ and actress Pierra Makena has jumped to the defense of fellow Disk jokers.

Speaking exclusively to Ghafla Kenya, Pierra has revealed the reasons why Kenyan songs are not given enough airplay; be it on radio, TV or in clubs.

Makena says that DJs normally do what fans instruct them to do and may be that is why they disappoint many artists in the country.

She has said that Kenyan fans love foreign music and that is what they normally request in clubs and in the media, effcectively rendering the local content unnecessary.

The actress has, however, stressed that Kenyan music is growing and should be taken seriously if people want the industry to flourish.

She also added:

Singing trio, Elani has spelt the beans on their mojo. The group has been very successful with their music winning the hearts of many.

Elani has completely revolutionized the way we perceive musicians and music at large. With many people thinking musicians are only a bunch of “average” educated fellows, Elani came forward to demystify the notion.

Perhaps they are the most educated musicians. Two advocates and one actuarial scientist, Elani definitely belong in some glass office in one of the city’s skyscrapers.

Even so, they attribute their music success to their education. Elani disclosed without education they wouldn’t be able to think the way they do.

“Education is very important. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to think the way we think. You can achieve your dreams beyond your wildest imaginations. You only have to keep working, apply yourself and make sure you have your eyes on the prize. We regard highly all those who graduate after putting in so much” wrote Elani.

There is a new breed of cons in town who have been reported to be stealing Cameras and Studio Equipment from hapless Kenyans,they go by the name Extreme Sounds and Pictures.  One victim records that they purport to own an office at commercial House 5th Floor room number 518. They ask to hire studio equipment, after they acquire the equipment, they dissappear into thin air, It has been confirmed that they don’t have any office at Commercial house 

 One Victim Cartel Kenya Narrates his onslaught: 

“RED ALERT.. THERE ARE THIS GUYS WHO CALL THEMSELVES XTREME SOUNDS & PICTURES..THEY HAVE A FAKE OFFICE AT COMMERCE HOUSE 5TH FLR DOOR NO. 518.. WE GAVE THEM CAMERAS 2 5D MARK 2 AND 2 5D MARK 3 ON FRDAY AND WERE SUPPOSED TO BE RETURNED ON SATURDAY BY 7PM.. UPTO NOW THERE PHONES ARE OFF.. AND SIMS THEY LEFT THE OFFICE.. PLS IF YOU HAVE ANY LEADS WILL APPRECIATE..THIS There share pls so that we guys in the Filming Industry to be alert…”

If you see people selling second hand  equipment like the aforementioned without receipts of wonership, report them to the police, or burn them at stake,They are thieves who deserve to be crucified. 

Hmmm. The biggest artists in East Africa caught out together; what could be brewing? Is it a new song or is it a new music academy? Or maybe they decided to form a cult.

As we came to find out, they were basically just hungry and out to hunt; not for a rhino but for the next biggest act in East Africa. Having made a mark in the industry, they only deemed it fit to leave their throne for other people to thrive and conquer and this they plan on doing in a new TV show set to premier on the 9^th Feb on Maisha Magic.

Dubbed Maisha Superstar, it is set to air on DSTV Channel 161 from 8PM promising wild filled entertainment as each of the selected contestants square in out for the top prize. But will they impress the judges?

Tune in to the show to find out.

IPSOS has released a survey it conducted in January to analyze radio listenership in the country. The radio stations that made it to the list will surprise you.

Among all the radio stations that made it on the list of top ten radio stations in the country, Kiss FM is the only urban radio station that made the cut.

The station closed the list at position ten commanding an audience size of about 2.5 million loyal listeners.

Also surprise guests on the list are Inooro FM and Kameme FM which have been ranked 7^th and 8^th respectively. The two are also the only vernacular radio stations to appear on top ten list. They have a combined listenership of approximately 5.6 million listeners.

Top on the pinnacle is Radio Citizen followed by Jambo FM, Radio Maisha and Radio Taifa respectively. Check out the list below to see how other radio stations faired:

How the world has changed over the years. Now in the comfort of your living room, you can download an album from your favorite Kenyan artists, tweet them how you liked it, open another tab in your device and order food from your favourite restaurant and while you enjoy it, search for what gift to get your girlfriend just before valentines gets here.

Easy and convenient as opposed to past years where even getting one song from your favourite artist was a tedious task; harder than getting your favourite celebrity to tweet you back; such ungrateful people.

However putting that aside, one thing we have to admit is that Kenya has really made tremendous steps in revolutionizing shopping in Kenya. According to a 2013 report by McKinsey Global Institute, mobile phone has revolutionized the way individuals interact and the way SMEs operate in Africa. Kenya records over 30 million mobile internet subscribers (statistics released by the Communications Commission of Kenya in 2013).

Such huge numbers coupled up with an ever expanding middle class who are more than willing to savour the good things life has to offer, you need innovative and expansive ways of ensuring that this good things get to them; like the new song by Khaligraph, have you listened to it? That’s when the internet comes in which in turn harbours useful avenues like Kaymu, OLX, Pigiame, Jumia and many others.

This is an online marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers from all over the country in the same platform. Not only is it convenient but also a safe platform on which to conduct business while giving great deals on price as well as business advice to its listed sellers. And with over 2000 sellers and counting, you can only imagine the impact this platform can provide.

As Kaymu’s Managing Director, Aleeda Fazal notes, “eCommerce platforms like Kaymu offer a convenient and inclusive shopping experience for Africa’s growing middle class and through this, facilitate the growth of small businesses across the country. “

And having experienced the benefits of online shopping, I would advocate you also join me and be part of the awakening.

They say, ‘there ain’t no party like a Lagos party.’ When I flew to Lagos this past weekend, I was hoping that perhaps I’d find out that the saying was a well magnified lie. Unfortunately it’s all true.

Going as a ‘Blogger Of The Year’ finalist in the African Social Media Awards, I was looking forward to having mad fun. After all, travel is best expressed through celebration. And fun did come in plenty. Forget the biased press, there’s more to the Nigerian capital than film, music and Boko Haram (who are only in North East Nigeria by the way,)

The city’s glory isn’t apparent upon arrival. The airport (Murtala Muhammed) is chaotic. It’s full of gun-toting cops and self-imposed foreign exchange dealers. The immediate mtaas aren’t so beautiful either as they belong to the less-affluent members of society. Campaign posters are scattered all over as it’s election season. But dig into the sprawling concrete mass and you’ll find greater diversity and intensity that fertile ground for nightlife ought to have

The rich live mostly on the main island in palaces to die for. That’s where our five star hotel was located, just a few meters from the deputy governor’s house. The environment is vibrant and there’s class to all proceedings that take place. .

As I was in the company of a few other Kenyans, we didn’t hesitate to hit the club the night we landed. Our Nigerian hosts had proven to be friendly so I brought up the idea of us continuing with the exchange of culture over the clinking of glasses and between the flashes of strobe lights. After all, it’s always been my dream to be an international nightlife connoisseur.

Our new Nigerian friend Uche called a cab guy and asked him to take us to one of the coolest clubs around. Well, he did. Lagos touts some of the ritziest and most prestigious nightclubs. If I was to travel to all the major cities of the world and asked to name the hottest party zones, the west African port would still receive a honorary mention. It’s simple the staple of African merriment

Omojowa is what the cub guy called himself. He seemed like an honest chap but his only problem was that he couldn’t shut up. Pidgin English flew out of his mouth like missiles out of Israel into gaza. He kept bombarding us with story after story about who was who in Nigeria. Occasionally, he would slow down to show us a politician’s house or a music producer’s apartment. It was tiring but interesting nevertheless.

Initially, we found it to pick the best spot to grace but we settled on one 3-floor mega club, which according to Uche, was frequented by the P-square brothers. We were in for a few surprises though. Apparently, foreigners are not allowed to take photos. This is because the bad habits of ‘mzungu’ journalists from abroad who have the tendency of coming into Naija and taking bad pictures of Africans. . So there was an oga bouncer on our tail making sure we didn’t mess up. However, that didn’t ruin our party spirit.

‘The Paris Of Africa’ as the exuberant locals call it, has something for everybody, from young artistes blowing their signing bonuses to chiefs drinking their way through mid-life crisis. There’s an emphasis on fashion too as almost everyone has tailor-made attire. There’s no noise control though as sometimes conversations from the rich honchos get louder than the music itself

I would be a crime for me to forget the Nigerian girls. They were turnt-up like it was their last party. Thick thighs in short skirts were evident all over. Unlike in Kenya, booties aren’t a scarce resource in Niaja. Even the ugliest chic has a dereirre worth talking about.  It’s difficult to find a skinny Nigerian chic. Maybe it’s because of their indigenous delights. Fufu and strange varieties of beef which made me miss sukuma wiki and ugali. Call girls are in plenty too. You can get the skill-less cheap ones lingering outside the clubs or you can order escort services to your apartment or room by dialing the phone numbers on club posters. That’s what the ogas at the top do.

And 96 percent of the music played in clubs is all Nigerian. That’s how they love themselves. I didn’t hear a single song from any other African country apart from a little American music the rest was all Wizkid, P-Square, Iyanya, Tiwa Savage, Davido and all the other top guns. No wonder music is now considered an employment opportunity by many young Nigerians

Nothing would be complete without me talking about beer. Just like fuel, alcohol is also cheap in Nigeria. A bottle of Johnny Walker lack Label goes for about 1800 Naira only. Which when converted to Kenyan money amounts to about 900 Kenyan shillings. Our brodas drink beer like the juice and the effects? Dancing like remote controlled toys and sweating like sprinklers. The heat in Lagos is crazy oooooh. I go tell you dear brodas.

The men are playboys with no exceptions. Everywhere you look, you see a guy smiling to a chic and throwing vibe words. Although the Nigerian sistos were cozying up to us, we were all uncertain about engaging in chips funga activities. Omojowa had killed our ‘getting laid’ morale by giving us tales about women turning into chicken in hotel rooms. So we just had to put on our chill gear. Better safe than sorry right? One of us still took the risk though and he was glad to wake up the following morning with his Ozokwor bish still human and all his tools still in their right places

All in all, Lagos has a relaxed, hedonistic air, and prides itself on being Kenya-friendly and outgoing. Will I go back when another opportunity beckons? Definitely. Ah go catch up to di ting

Gloria Muliro, the sensational gospel singer, was embroiled in a marital saga that led to the infamous separation with her husband of five years, Pastor Eric Omba.

Omba, a Congolese man who is also a music producer, was accused of infidelity and lack of respect for his marriage with the veteran singer. prompting the latter to walk away in a bitter separation.

The preacher made frantic efforts through his facebook page to reach out to Gloria but all this went in vain as the singer chose to go quiet.

This is why NTV’s Larry Madowo has taken issue with Pastor Omba.

Larry wonders if Gloria had switched off her phone or she had changed her contacts, prompting the producer to go to the social media to find his wife.

Larry adds that Gloria made the most prudent thing to remain silent even after what Omba did, and that issues cannot be solved through Facebook.

Larry said this through his article on his column in the Nation.

Leading television stations, Citizen TV, KTN and NTV have been warned against trying to block change in the country. Radio queen, Caroline Mutoko issued her warning saying the three will fail in their bid to drag the country backwards.

Even though she never mentioned Citizen TV, KTN or NTV, one thing clear, Caroline was talking about the three when she issued her warning.

The three television stations have been on the forefront to block analogue switch off in the country. They have also filed a petition in court seeking to stop GOTv from distributing their signals.

With that in mind, Caroline went on the offensive saying there will be a tyranny of success with digital migration.

“For the media, whether for us in radio, print and television, what digital migration is doing is disrupting what we always know and we are unhappy. The sad thing about our unhappiness is number one; it’s gonna happen. The sooner we deal with that reality the better. Caroline explained.

She further said those trying to stop digital migration were arrogant and were only doing so for their own benefits and not the audiences’.

“Television is not three stations and schedules that works in your favor. Television is what I want, when I want it, how I want it as long as I want it and that’s what digital migration brings to everybody’s home. It’s that simple” explained Caroline.

She went on to illustrate how digital migration would benefit everyone with its diverse content. Check out Caroline explaining her point in the video below:

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We probably know him as the king of genge having propelled this genre to immeasurable heights while maintaining great tenacity and consistency while at it. Not many Kenyan artists surpass the one hit wonder phase but more than 10 years down the line, he’s still doing it.

He has however maintained a low profile for a while now and thus when we stumbled upon this recent photo, we couldn’t help but wonder who this fine lass he was hanging out with was. Maybe she was reason he had stepped away from the music scene for a while; he was expanding his throne and all if you know what I mean.

As we came to find out from Mseto EA however, the said lass was a video vixen in his upcoming smashing hit Karibu Nairobi and not his new found hubby. Apparently the long break was intended to replenish and prepare us for yet another big hit. He is still on his A game and you can catch him at the Carnivore grounds from 10Am to 6PM this coming Saturday.

In an eclectic event dubbed SportPesa Festival, Juacali will be looking to showcasing his stage prowess alongside other greats in the likes of Nameless, Wyre, Size 8, Stella Mwangi (STL) who together with younger cats in the likes of Kristoff and Size 8 will be charged with bringing Nairobi to life as it looks forward to wish away the Nairobi blues.

Apart from the exciting performances, there will also be great musical fusions from DJ’s Pierra Makena, Joe Mfalme, Crème De La Crème and Mo soon to be followed by heartfelt comedy sessions from Jalang’o and Eric Omondi. And yes, your stomachs will also be well taken care of with scrumptious servings from the Carnivore restaurant.

And it’s so easy to be part of all this. All you have to do is possess a SportPesa account and be part of those people who have already placed their bets. Then you’ll be required to send a short message, “FESTIVAL” to 79079. From there you’ll be entered into a draw and once picked, you’ll receive a confirmation message confirming that indeed you have won. A second message containing a unique ticket number will be sent to you as the festival nears.

And don’t worry even though you’re a first participant. All you have to do is send “FESTIVAL” to 79079 where you will receive a message with the necessary instructions. And here is the fun part; your ticket allows two people to enter so you can surprise your spouse, friend or even family member. Just make sure they are of legal age.

Log into Facebook and search Sportpesa festival or twitter @sportpesafest for more information.

Photo: MsetoEA

The most disheartening thing that happens to most of us is losing our loved ones. It really renders everything impossible when we lose people who mean so much to our lives, financially, socially or mentally.

This is the very same situation Njeri Kaberere, widow to the late Gospel singer Kaberere, has been in since the demise of her loving husband.

Njeri has narrated the horrifying moments she has had over the period she has missed her husband.

It was in April last year when the sudden demise of the celebrated singer, Kaberere, happened.

According to Njeri, she vividly remembers the last moments she shared with her husband before he met his sudden death.

It was on a Sunday after church that Kaberere offered to take their car to the car-wash. This is where the singer would meet his death.

Then, Njeri was heavily pregnant for her second child, Njoki.

Kaberere, it was said, was killed by an electric shock.

On the burial day, NJeri gave birth to her second child, Njoki. She says that she thanks God the whole process had no complications.

However, what moves most is the life the widow has faced after the demise of her husband. She says that Kaberere was all that she had. And after his demise, life has not been the same with her two children, Ulani and Njoki.

They miss their father. She misses her husband, dearly.

She, however, says that she finds solace in the Lord, whom she says has enabled her to learn to celebrated the death of her husband, and not mourn it.

Njeri was speaking to Eve Magazine.

Kenya’s most accomplished musicians raised eyebrows when they were seen on a red Ngong bound matatu.

Vehicles have long been used to measure one’s level of success in Kenya. Own one and you will definitely be regarded as having made it in life.

Celebrities are widely expected to own high-end automobiles. Even so, some are still using public transport. Sauti Sol is only but a few celebrities who were seen on matatus.

First things first, I am no longer talking about owning rides. I am now talking about common street culture or perhaps art.

Yes! For celebs to measure their level of music penetration and acceptance in this city, graffiti on matatus is the gauging tool.

Sauti Sol has one on a matatu plying Ngong route. Upon learning they have been painted on a matatu, Sauti Sol sent their appreciation for the special honor.