ISTANBUL, May 31 (Reuters) – U.S. rapper Kanye West, who has been barred from performing in several countries due to past antisemitic comments, drew more than 100,000 fans to a concert in Istanbul on Saturday night.
West, also known as Ye, has faced a wave of cancellations across Europe this summer following years of antisemitic remarks, including statements praising Adolf Hitler and the release of content using Nazi imagery.
In his first appearance in Europe since 2014, and his first in Turkey, Ye performed for two hours in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium to an audience of 118,000, state-run Anadolu Agency said.
Among the audience were fans from Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Poland and the Middle East, Anadolu said.
The 48-year-old rapper is set to perform in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8.
Ye has faced a global backlash, not least for his release of “Heil Hitler”, a song promoting Nazism.
In April, Britain denied Ye entry on grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good, forcing the cancellation of a planned appearance at the Wireless Festival in London.
Later that month, he also postponed a show in Marseille after reports that the French government had sought to block it, and a concert in Poland was also subsequently cancelled.
In January, Ye took out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal renouncing his past admiration for Hitler and apologising for his behaviour, which he attributed to an undiagnosed brain injury and untreated bipolar disorder.
ROME, May 30 (Reuters) – Italy has banned two concerts involving U.S. rappers Kanye West and Travis Scott due to take place in July in the northern city of Reggio Emilia, authorities said on Saturday.
The local prefect, Salvatore Angieri, ordered the cancellation because of concerns over public order and security, including the potential for protests.
West, also known as Ye, has faced a wave of cancellations across Europe this summer following years of antisemitic remarks, including statements praising Adolf Hitler and the release of content using Nazi imagery.
Scott, meanwhile, has faced scrutiny over safety at his concerts since a 2021 crowd crush at the Astroworld festival in Houston that killed 10 people and injured hundreds.
Scott had been due to perform at the “Pulse of Gaia Festival” on July 17 at the 103,000-seat RCF Arena, with Ye scheduled to appear the following day.
Angieri said the decision was taken following requests from consumer group CODACONS and the Jewish community in Modena and Reggio Emilia, which had raised particular concerns about Ye.
Authorities cited the close timing of the two shows and the high influx of spectators expected within 24 hours as factors behind the ban. They also pointed to the cancellation of other Ye concerts in Europe and the “concrete risk” of protests.
In April, Britain denied Ye entry on the grounds his presence would not be conducive to the public good. Later that month, he also postponed a Marseille show after reports the French government had sought to block it, while concerts in Poland and Switzerland were also cancelled.
Ye, who has apologised for past remarks and said they were linked to untreated bipolar disorder, has continued to perform in countries that have welcomed him, and is due to hold a concert in Istanbul later on Saturday.
He is also set to hold concerts in the Netherlands next month, after its migration minister said there were no legal grounds to deny him entry.
There was no immediate comment from Ye, Scott or the event organisers in Italy.
Moses Otieno Ojwang was twenty-something, chasing the music, burning studio hours on gengetone tracks that streamed millions of times and pushed him into a generation of young Kenyan artists rewriting what African hip-hop could sound like. He had the voice, he had the crowd, he had the TikTok trends. What he did not have, it turns out, was a legitimate record deal.
The man who sold him that deal, a Sacramento-born promoter named Cedric Singleton, had been operating in Kenya under a company banner that California authorities had stripped of its legal standing years before Fathermoh signed a single page.
Documents attached to Kenya’s Copyright Tribunal now confirm what should have been a disqualifying fact: Black Market Records LLC, the US entity at the centre of this dispute, has been listed as “Suspended – FTB/SOS” by the California Secretary of State since March 2013. A suspended company cannot legally contract, cannot sue, and cannot enforce copyrights. Yet according to Fathermoh’s filings, Singleton and his related entities signed the young artist to an exclusive recording agreement in 2021, collected his work, monetised his catalogue across every major streaming platform on earth, and remitted nothing back to the man who made the music.
Fathermoh is now before the Copyright Tribunal seeking Sh87.6 million in unpaid royalties, publishing revenue, special damages, and reimbursement for personal production costs he poured into a label that he says took everything and gave him silence in return.
The company had been legally dead for eight years before it signed Fathermoh. In California, a suspended entity cannot contract, cannot litigate, and cannot hold copyrights. Yet it claimed to own sixty-three of his songs.
THE LURE
To understand how this happened, you have to understand what Black Market Records looked like from the outside, especially from inside the Eastlands estates where gengetone was born.
Cedric Singleton founded Black Market Records in Sacramento in 1989, building it into a respectable West Coast hip-hop imprint that launched Brotha Lynch Hung and X-Raided in the 1990s. The label had genuine pedigree in its day. By the 2010s Singleton pivoted toward digital distribution and social media promotion to stay relevant, and somewhere in that reinvention he discovered East Africa.
Around 2018 and 2019, Black Market Records began signing Kenyan and Ugandan acts at a pace that raised few eyebrows at the time. The label’s African subsidiary, styled as Black Market Afrika, brought in Rico Gang, The Boondocks, Mbuzi Gang, Exray Taniua, and a constellation of others. The names that emerged from that roster became household brands in Kenya: Sipangwingwi, Shamra Shamra, Kuna Kuna. Singleton flew to Nairobi on business trips, posed for photos, and spoke at music industry events. The label had Instagram pages, press releases, and what looked like an international distribution infrastructure.
For young artists from backgrounds where legal counsel was not a standard feature of music deals, the pitch was irresistible. An American label with thirty years of history wanted to sign you. It would handle production, distribution, and marketing. You gave up twenty percent of royalties and fifty percent of publishing rights. In exchange, your music would reach the world.
Fathermoh signed in 2021, both as a solo artist and as a member of Mbuzi Gang. Between 2020 and 2024 he delivered at least sixty-three tracks: solo works, Mbuzi Gang anthems, and collaborative efforts including Shamra Shamra, Bambi, Taki Taki, Kwata, and the widely streamed Laaana. The albums Three Wise Goats and Kelele followed. He invested his own money in recording sessions, video productions, and high-profile collaborations, expecting that investment to generate returns through the royalty and streaming revenue structures the label had promised.
He invested his own money in sixty-three songs. The label took the songs, registered them under different names, monetised them on every platform, and sent back nothing. When he tried to release new music independently, they hit him with copyright strikes.
THE TRAP CLOSES
Somewhere between the signing and the streaming millions, the relationship curdled. According to court documents, the label took control of Fathermoh’s entire catalogue and began monetising his work aggressively across YouTube, Spotify, and Boomplay without providing verifiable financial statements or remitting royalties. When Fathermoh requested accounting, he received either stonewalling or documents he could not verify.
The situation escalated when he attempted to exercise his most basic right as a creator: releasing new music and managing his own digital presence. The label’s response, according to his filings, was swift and deliberately destructive. Copyright strikes and takedown notices flooded his channels. His content was pulled. His growth stalled.
The numbers in the court filings are specific and damning. Spotify monthly listeners collapsed from approximately 80,000 to 46,000 within a single month. YouTube subscriber counts fell sharply, and advertising revenue that had been accumulating on his channel dried up. Fathermoh reportedly attempted to escape the situation by opening a new YouTube account to continue releasing music. The label found it and struck that too.
This is not the conduct of a label managing contractual disagreements in good faith. This is a digital siege: weaponising the copyright infrastructure of major platforms to silence a creator, destroy his audience, and choke off his income until he either capitulated or collapsed.
The filings further allege that the label falsely registered his songs under different names, falsely claimed full ownership of compositions to which it had no legitimate title, and systematically denied him access to his own catalogue. The effect was to render him a ghost in his own catalogue, present in the revenue streams but absent from the accounting.
THE SUSPENDED GHOST
Here is where the story moves from exploitation to fraud, and from fraud to farce.
Documents filed before the tribunal establish that Black Market Records LLC has carried the classification “Suspended – FTB/SOS” from the California Secretary of State since 2013. The FTB designation means suspension by the Franchise Tax Board, typically for failure to file tax returns or pay taxes. The SOS designation means suspension by the Secretary of State. A company carrying both designations is, under California law, stripped of its powers, rights, and privileges. It cannot enter binding contracts. It cannot initiate or maintain lawsuits. It cannot hold or enforce intellectual property rights.
Singleton signed Fathermoh, Mbuzi Gang, Harry Craze’s Rico Gang, and numerous other Kenyan and Ugandan artists under this entity or entities bearing its name, years after that suspension took effect. Harry Craze’s filings confirm that his Rico Gang arrangement dates to 2019, six years after Black Market Records LLC was suspended in California.
Fathermoh’s legal argument is therefore foundational: the agreement is not merely unfair or imbalanced. It is null and void from inception, because the counterparty lacked the legal capacity to contract. Any copyright ownership purportedly transferred to or claimed by the label under that void agreement is equally without legal foundation.
A void contract transfers nothing. Every copyright claim the label is asserting over Fathermoh’s catalogue rests on an agreement that Californian law says never legally existed.
The respondents named in the Kenyan filings are Black Market Records LLC, Black Market Media LLC, and Cedric Singleton personally. The tribunal, chaired by Elizabeth Lenjo, certified both the Fathermoh and Harry Craze matters as urgent on May 22 and issued interim ex parte orders that same day barring the respondents from claiming ownership, monetising, publishing, or otherwise commercially exploiting the artists’ works. The orders also bar the label from interfering with their live performances, concerts, and promotional activities pending a full inter partes hearing scheduled for June 4.
THE CALIFORNIA COUNTERSTRIKE
Singleton did not wait for Nairobi to move against him. Reports indicate that before the Kenyan tribunal proceedings were filed, Black Market Records had already dragged the artists into California courts, suing them for one million US dollars. The lawsuit reportedly claims breach of contract and seeks to enforce the very agreements that Kenyan lawyers are now arguing were void from the beginning.
The asymmetry of this legal warfare is deliberate and well understood in the music industry. An American company suing broke young artists from Nairobi’s Eastlands in a California court knows exactly what it is doing. Trans-Pacific litigation is ruinously expensive. The artists cannot easily afford US counsel, cannot easily attend California hearings, and face the prospect of default judgments being enforced against them in Kenya if the California court rules in the label’s favour unchallenged.
The situation became so severe that Fathermoh, Vic West, and Harry Craze made their way to State House in Nairobi earlier this year, seeking the intervention of President William Ruto. The government, through Dennis Itumbi, confirmed that it had stepped in. Ezra Chiloba, Kenya’s Consul General in Los Angeles, took up their cause pro bono, providing a measure of diplomatic and legal firepower in the California proceedings that the artists could not have marshalled alone.
Fathermoh with President Ruto when he hosted the artists in State House.
Itumbi, in public statements, also pointed to structural problems beyond the suspended LLC. He noted that the contracts themselves contained provisions of infinite duration and perpetual rights assignments that are unlawful under Kenyan law regardless of the LLC’s status. Artists were signed to arrangements with no exit clause and no defined contractual end, meaning the label claimed their music forever.
THE PATTERN ACROSS BORDERS
Kenya is not the only jurisdiction where Black Market Records has been put on blast. Harry Craze’s filings before the Copyright Tribunal cite a landmark judgment from Uganda dated April 1, 2025. In Kiggundu alias Bruno K versus Black Market Records Entertainment, the Ugandan High Court ruled against the label on similar facts: void agreements, unlawful exploitation of artistic revenue, and copyright plunder. The court ordered the label to pay 130 million Ugandan shillings in damages.
The pattern is therefore not an accident. It is a strategy. Black Market Records appears to have systematically signed artists across East Africa under identical structural arrangements: agreements that surrendered masters and publishing rights, offered royalties that never arrived, and backed the whole arrangement with copyright strike mechanisms that could be triggered the moment an artist pushed back. Uganda fought back and won. Kenya is now fighting.
The label’s roster, as documented across multiple sources, included Mbuzi Gang, Rico Gang, The Boondocks, Exray Taniua, Unspoken Salaton, Teslah Kenya, Johnny Benzx, Nande Boyz, Kwesi Mafia, Tarel Tala, Vic West, and numerous Ugandan artists including Daddy Andre. Many of these artists may still be bound, or believe themselves bound, by the same class of agreements that Fathermoh and Harry Craze are now fighting to void.
Uganda’s High Court already ruled against the label in 2025 for the same conduct. Kenya’s Copyright Tribunal is next. The question is how many other artists across eleven African countries are still trapped inside the machine.
Strip away the legal architecture and what you find is a young man from Nairobi who made music, invested his own money, built an audience of hundreds of thousands of people, and then watched it all get systematically dismantled by a label he could not escape.
The court documents record that Fathermoh’s YouTube subscriber count fell from 228,000 during the period of the dispute. His Spotify monthly listeners were halved within weeks. Every time he attempted to relaunch, he ran into another copyright strike. He could not perform in advertising campaigns because the label claimed his image rights. He could not place music on bills because the label claimed ownership. When he opened a fresh YouTube channel hoping to start over, the label found it and struck again.
He spent money he is now demanding back: recording budgets, video production costs, collaboration fees, all expended in good faith under a contract that his lawyers now argue was never legally binding to begin with. The Sh87.6 million he is seeking includes unpaid royalties, publishing revenue, special damages, and reimbursement of those personal production costs across a catalogue of sixty-three songs that generated streaming revenue running to millions of plays.
Harry Craze’s story runs parallel. Rico Gang, the group he was part of since 2019, broke up in December 2023 partly because of the financial hardships inflicted by this arrangement. Even after the group dissolved, the label continued asserting ownership over both the group’s catalogue and Craze’s solo works including Matopare, Luku Ni Pyam, and Diglo. The label removed some of his songs from streaming platforms while simultaneously monetising others without his consent. He is seeking Sh5.79 million in damages, and the interim orders he secured are identical in scope to Fathermoh’s.
WHAT THE TRIBUNAL MUST DECIDE
The Copyright Tribunal’s immediate task, when it convenes for directions on June 4, is to manage the transition from interim to full inter partes orders and set a timetable for hearing the substantive claims. Respondents have been directed to file and serve their responses by May 28.
The deeper questions before the tribunal will take longer. Did a suspended LLC have any legal capacity to contract with these artists? If the agreements are void, does any copyright ownership validly rest with the label or does it revert in its entirety to the creators? What royalty accounting does the label owe, and over what period? What damages flow from the deliberately weaponised copyright strikes that destroyed audience reach and advertising revenue? And what remedy exists for the moral rights violations under the Copyright Act that come from falsely registering works under different names?
There is also the question of the California proceedings. Kenya’s Copyright Tribunal cannot directly enjoin a California court. But a Kenyan finding that the underlying contracts are void ab initio would be a powerful piece of evidence for the Consul General’s team to place before any US judge asked to enforce those same contracts against the artists.
A WARNING TO EVERY KENYAN ARTIST
This story is not finished. The tribunal hearings will run for months. The California proceedings will run in parallel. Dozens of other artists on the Black Market Africa roster have not yet moved legally and face a choice between fighting and continuing to live inside arrangements that may be unenforceable but are practically suffocating.
But even at this midpoint, the Fathermoh case offers a complete masterclass in how predatory international label deals operate in emerging markets. The playbook is consistent: find hungry, talented artists in a booming scene where legal infrastructure is thin and contract literacy is low. Offer the glamour of international distribution. Structure the deal to surrender masters, publishing, and image rights with no defined exit. Include royalty provisions that never trigger payment. Build in digital distribution control that can be weaponised as a strike mechanism. Back the whole arrangement with a US LLC that the artist cannot realistically sue across an ocean. Then, when the artist fights back, flip to California courts and demand seven figures.
Fathermoh knew none of this in 2021. He knew he had songs that Kenya was streaming. He knew a label wanted him. He signed.
What every artist in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, and every other market where Black Market Records has signed talent needs to know right now is simple. Before you sign anything: verify that the counterparty company is in good legal standing in its home jurisdiction. Obtain a copy of the company’s registration certificate and check its status with the relevant authority, whether California’s Secretary of State, Companies House in the UK, or any other registry. Demand transparency on royalty accounting mechanisms before a single track is delivered. Ensure the contract has a defined term and clear exit provisions. Never surrender your masters without ironclad reversion clauses. And engage independent legal counsel, not the label’s lawyer, not a friend with a law degree, but a music industry specialist who owes you, not the label, their duty of care.
The gengetone generation built something extraordinary out of estates, phones, and raw talent. They deserve an industry that serves them rather than feeds on them. Fathermoh has drawn the line. The Copyright Tribunal is watching. So is the rest of East Africa.
The Copyright Tribunal matter is scheduled for directions on June 4, 2026. The respondents were directed to file responses by May 28, 2026. The California proceedings are ongoing.
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 9 – Comedian Eric Omondi has emerged as Kenya’s top-earning social media influencer, pulling in an estimated Sh57 million in 2025, according to new industry data.
A report by Odipo Dev shows Omondi led the earnings chart through brand partnerships, reflecting the growing commercialization of Kenya’s digital content space.
Top influencers collectively earned Sh296 million last year, while total payouts to creators surpassed Sh1.07 billion, underscoring the sector’s rising economic significance.
The findings highlight entertainment—particularly comedy—as the most lucrative content category, with creators leveraging strong audience engagement to secure repeat brand deals.
Brands in sectors such as beauty, food and beverage, telecommunications, and financial services are increasingly shifting advertising budgets to digital platforms, with SMEs driving the bulk of influencer partnerships.
However, the report notes a gap between audience reach and revenue, especially on TikTok, where creators struggle to convert views into income.
Instagram remains the most effective platform for monetization, while Facebook delivers moderate returns.
With limited direct earnings from platforms, most Kenyan creators still rely heavily on brand deals and external income streams.
Analysts say improving monetization models and expanding access to brand partnerships will be critical as the creator economy continues to grow beyond the Sh1 billion mark.
The Beverly Hills home of pop superstar Rihanna has been hit by gunfire, police say.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to reports of gunfire at 13:15 local time (21:15 GMT) on Sunday. A suspect was located and taken into custody.
A police official told the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, that the home targeted belonged to Rihanna and that assault rifle casings were found at the scene.
No one was injured in the incident. Rihanna was in the mansion at the time, a law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times.
Police say the suspect, a woman in her 30s, stopped in a car outside the home and fired seven shots before speeding away.
Her vehicle was located about eight miles (12km) away from the singer’s home, where the woman was taken into custody. She has not yet been publicly identified.
Last September the star gave birth to her third child, a girl, with partner A$AP Rocky.
The couple, who also share two sons Riot and RZA, announced Rihanna’s latest pregnancy at last year’s Met Gala.
The couple’s baby news was not the first time they made headlines in 2025. In February, A$AP Rocky was found not guilty of firing a gun at a former friend, in a trial that saw Rihanna bring her two sons to court.
The Barbados-born celebrity, whose real name is Robyn Fenty, shot to prominence in the early 2000s with hits like Pon de Replay and Umbrella. She recently celebrated 20 years since the release of her first album.
During that time, Rihanna has launched multiple businesses, including her popular makeup range Fenty Beauty and a lingerie company. The 37-year-old’s net worth has been estimated by Forbes at over a billion dollars.
The BBC has contacted Rihanna’s representatives for comment.
Nairobi, March 5, 2026 – In a swift and unequivocal statement shared across his official social media channels today, Jamaican dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel (Adidja Palmer) has categorically denied any involvement in the much-hyped Talanta East Afrika Festival tour slated for May 2026.
The announcement comes just days after organizers in Nairobi unveiled the event with Kartel positioned as the headline act, sparking massive excitement among fans in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Kartel addressed the circulating reports head-on: “It has come to my attention that a post is circulating claiming that I will be embarking on an East African tour in May 2026. Let me be absolutely clear: neither my management nor I have any knowledge of, or involvement in, any such tour. No East African shows have been announced or confirmed by my team.”
He went further, issuing a strong caution to supporters and potential partners: “Any individuals, promoters, or platforms claiming to be booking or advertising these shows are acting without authorization and are misleading the public. Fans, promoters and venues are strongly advised not to engage with or send money to anyone making such claims, as these may be scams.”
For emphasis, Kartel reminded everyone that official updates come solely from his verified platforms or authorized representatives, specifically naming his manager, Linton T.J. White, and attorney, Jason Mitchell. He added that unauthorized use of his name would face consequences.
The drama stems from last week’s press conference in Nairobi, where festival organizers proudly announced Kartel as the lead performer for a three-city regional showcase celebrating East African culture through music, fashion, cuisine, and art.
The tour was billed to kick off on May 1, 2026, at Lugogo Cricket Oval in Kampala, Uganda; move to BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 2; and wrap up on May 8 at Laureate Gardens in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan artist Charisma was confirmed as a supporting act, with more regional talents promised soon. Tickets were set to go on sale March 9, targeting the 18-35 demographic while aiming to boost tourism and local jobs.
The festival was positioned as a bold step to elevate East Africa’s entertainment profile on the global stage, capitalizing on Kartel’s enduring popularity here. His tracks have long dominated playlists and club nights across the region.
Yet Kartel’s denial throws the entire headline into doubt. As of this evening, the Talanta East Afrika Festival organizers have remained silent, with no official response to the artist’s statement. Social media in Nairobi and beyond is abuzz with reactions, from disappointed fans to speculation about miscommunication, unauthorized promotions, or even outright fraud.
This isn’t the first time hype around Kartel’s post-prison (released in 2024) appearances has stirred controversy, but his firm disavowal complete with scam warnings underscores the risks in the live event space, especially for high-profile international acts.
Until organizers clarify or Kartel’s team signals otherwise, the Talanta East Afrika Festival’s flagship act appears off the table. For now, Gaza fans in East Africa are advised to hold off on any purchases and wait for verified word from the Worl’ Boss himself.
Stay tuned. I’ll be following developments closely as this story unfolds. In the dancehall game, only official word counts.
American YouTuber and livestream star Darren Jason Watkins Jr., popularly known as IShowSpeed, has promised Kenyan fans that his return to Nairobi is certain.
Speaking to supporters on Monday, February 23, 2026, the high-energy content creator revisited what he described as one of the most unforgettable moments of his career. During his recent Africa tour, a livestream from Nairobi triggered a surge of 360,000 new subscribers to his channel, a spike he still calls “crazy.”
“I want to gather that Kenyan moment again. 360,000 subscribers, which was crazy. Kenya showed me so much love, and I really love Kenya,” Speed said.
He went further, greeting fans in Swahili and reaffirming his commitment. “Habari yako to all my Kenyan fans. I love you, and I will be 100 per cent back in Kenya.”
In a Zoom interview earlier this month, Speed said he was stunned by the turnout during his Nairobi visit.
According to him, more than 30,000 people showed up in the city just to watch him stream live.
“My Kenya visit was so crazy to me, with how many people just came out for me. I think it was over 30,000 people that came out to the city just to watch me stream,” he said. “It was an amazing experience for me. I do not think I have ever seen such people ever. Just to think I can pull such a crowd in Africa, I was astonished.”
Clips from his Nairobi livestream quickly went viral across social media platforms, showing massive crowds chanting his name and running alongside his convoy.
IshowSpeed in Kenya on January 11, 2026.
For many young Kenyans, it was a rare moment of global digital culture unfolding in real time on their streets.
Speed’s comments come as he continues reflecting on his African tour, which included a stop in Egypt where he streamed from the famous pyramids in Giza before heading into the Sahara Desert for another broadcast.
Even while surrounded by sand dunes, he kept mentioning Kenya as a highlight of the trip.
For his Kenyan fans, the promise of a return is already building anticipation. While he has not confirmed dates or plans, one thing is clear.
Nairobi left a mark on IShowSpeed, and he says he is coming back to relive that moment all over again.
Honey, the taxman has entered the chat and he is NOT playing.
Kenya Revenue Authority nearly broke the internet this week after sliding into the comments of forex trader and certified show-off Raymond Omosa, popularly known as Kenyan Prince, after the man had the audacity, the nerve, the unfiltered BOLDNESS to sit on camera and count thick bundles of cash like he was auditioning for a Nairobi version of Power.
KRA’s own public handle on X, KRA Care, did not send a letter. Did not call his lawyer. Did not send a polite email. Instead, they clapped back in Swahili, writing “Hi Kenyan Prince, uliomba ukiface wapi aki, ni mbaya.” Translation for those who missed Sunday school? They basically asked this man where exactly he was praying when God decided to bless him like this, because something is not adding up, and it is not adding up loudly.
Nairobi went absolutely feral.
Now for those who do not follow this particular corner of the internet, Kenyan Prince is not a quiet man. This is someone who posts luxury cars for breakfast, expensive watches for lunch, and trading screenshots for dinner. He once claimed he made KSh 51 million in a single trading session during a Dubai conference. A single. Session. In Dubai. Fifty one million. The man did not whisper this information. He announced it the way people announce wedding engagements.
So when KRA came calling, Twitter erupted faster than Nairobi traffic on a Friday evening. Opinions split down the middle harder than a bad avocado. One camp insisted that forex earnings are automatically taxed before they even touch your account, practically daring KRA to mind their business. The other camp, equally loud, reminded everyone that automatic deductions or not, you still have to explain where the physical cash in your hand came from, because anti-money laundering laws do not care about your follower count.
Omosa himself responded with the energy of someone who was not even slightly shaken. He wrote “Now you realise you have started a real hustle, let’s work hard,” essentially patting KRA on the head and telling them welcome to the grind. The audacity of this response alone sent Twitter into a second spiral.
Here is where it gets spicier. Critics have long whispered that Kenyan Prince’s real income has less to do with pips and spreads and more to do with content deals, promotions, and the kind of affiliations that tend to pay well when you have a large and impressionable following. Nobody has publicly come forward claiming he stole from them, which his defenders wave around like a victory flag. But the question of source of funds is a different beast entirely from the question of theft, and KRA knows this better than anyone.
The authority has been sharpening its digital claws for a while now. They use eTIMS to flag undeclared income, they cross-reference transactions with tax filings, and they have been issuing warnings to people whose bank records and nil returns are living completely separate lives. Forex profits in Kenya are taxable income, full stop, and unlike your salary, nobody automatically deducts anything. You declare it yourself, which means the honour system is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this country.
As of now KRA has not confirmed any formal investigation into Omosa, and Omosa has not offered any additional context about the cash video that started this whole beautiful mess. What we do know is that somewhere in Nairobi, a tax official with a good sense of humour typed a Swahili clap back and accidentally started a national conversation about wealth, accountability, and what exactly it means to be winning in public.
The camera never lies, Kenyan Prince. But neither does the taxman.
A Romanian court has sentenced Wiz Khalifa to nine months in prison for smoking cannabis on stage.
The American rapper, real name Thomaz Cameron Jibril, admitted to smoking a joint during his performance at the Beach, Please! festival last year in Costinesti.
A Romanian appeals court overturned an earlier fine of 3,600 Romanian lei (£619; $829) for drug possession and ruled the rapper must serve the sentence in custody.
However he was sentenced in absentia. Earlier this week he was seen on stage performing with Gunna in California, and on Thursday he posted pictures and clips from his home on streaming platform Twitch and social media.
The BBC has approached the ten-time Grammy-nominated artist for comment.
Police briefly held and questioned Jibril after the concert on 13 July 2024, and prosecutors later charged him with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use.
Romanian investigators said he was in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed an additional amount on stage.
In a written decision, the Constanța Court of Appeal judges said they overturned the original fine because the artist had sent “a message of normalisation of illegal conduct” and thereby encouraged “drug use among young people”.
Calling it an “ostentatious act”, the judges said the rapper was “a music performer, on the stage of a music festival well known among young people” who “possessed and consumed, in front of a large audience predominantly made up of very young people, an artisanal cigarette”.
“They [the authorities] were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time.”
Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told BBC News that there was little-to-no chance of the US extraditing Jibril, and described the sentence as “unusually harsh”.
“Given the defendant’s wealth and connections, Romania’s lack of real negotiating power on extradition, and the legal and political status of cannabis in the US, it is highly unlikely that Wiz Khalifa will be sent to serve a prison sentence in Constanța, even though a formal judicial request will be submitted to the United States,” Mr Zaha said.
The artist, known for songs like Black and Yellow, See You Again and Young, Wild & Free, is often pictured smoking on his social media and founded his own marijuana brand in 2016.
Cannabis is legal recreational and medical use in some US states, but remains illegal under federal law.
Media personality Willis Raburu has escalated his dispute with East African Breweries Limited to the High Court, accusing the regional beer maker of failing to pay him Sh10 million for a nationwide promotional campaign he says he executed in full.
Raburu, through his company Steizon Limited, is seeking the suspension of EABL’s operating licence until the disputed amount is settled. He says the brewer has violated his rights, breached the contract and exposed him to debts owed to artistes and service providers who participated in the campaign.
Court filings show Raburu was contracted to run promotional activities under the BebaBeba banner, part of the wider Furaha City Festival Event held on December 7, 2024.
He says he recruited and deployed dozens of artistes and brand influencers who travelled across the country promoting EABL products and interacting with consumers, only for the brewer and its marketing partner, Game Changer Marketing Limited, to withhold payment long after the campaign ended.
Raburu says the prolonged delays have strained his relationships with creatives who supported the project and are now demanding their dues, adding that the situation has caused reputational damage and personal distress.
Steizon Limited wants the court to compel EABL to deposit the Sh10 million in court pending determination of the case, arguing that the impact of the debt has been felt by families of artistes who relied on the work.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Raburu confirmed that the matter is now formally before the courts, saying creatives must be protected from what he terms systemic neglect.
“EABL is now formally before court. We MUST protect creatives. This morning, together with my legal team led by Danstan Omari, we filed pleadings arising from prolonged non-payment and breach of contract,” he said.
He added that he is seeking declarations on the validity of the contract, recovery of outstanding sums with interest, damages and regulatory review, including consideration of the brewer’s operating licence pending full settlement of what he maintains is lawfully owed.
“This is not punitive. It is procedural. Licences exist to uphold standards of compliance and accountability. Where obligations from accepted work remain unresolved, the law provides for pause and review to protect the integrity of the system,” he said.
Raburu insisted that court action was the last resort after more than a year of what he describes as good-faith engagement with the involved parties.
“Court was not a first resort. After over a year of good-faith engagement, this was the final step. We MUST protect creatives at all costs,” he said.
EABL and Game Changer Marketing Limited have been listed as respondents. The matter awaits directions from the duty judge.
Nigerian actor, content creator and influencer Odira Nwobu has died in South Africa aged 43, his lawyer and the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria have told the BBC.
News of his death has shocked many at home in Nigeria, prompting an outpouring of grief online from fans and colleagues alike for the Nollywood star who was in more than 60 films during his lifetime and was well-known for his comedic persona and babyface.
Nwobu’s family have yet to comment publicly.
It is not yet known what caused the actor’s death on Monday. A coroner’s report was expected soon, his lawyer Chukwujiekwu Chukwudi said.
Videos appearing to show the lifeless body of the actor began circulating online on Monday, causing upset.
Mr Chukwudi told the BBC’s Igbo service that an ambulance was called to Nwobu’s hotel in the town of Benoni, near Johannesburg, after he was discovered alone in his room “gasping for breath”.
Paramedics attempted to keep the actor alive using a defibrillator, but he died at the scene before they could take him to hospital, he said.
Born in Nigeria’s south-eastern state of Enugu in 1982, Odira Nwobu landed his first professional role – in a film called Joseph the Dreamer – straight out of secondary school.
He had a prolific career but struggled with feeling typecast, he told BBC News Igbo back in 2021, which made him turn to content creation as a way to find more freedom.
Across his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube accounts he amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.
At the time of his death, Nwobu had been visiting South Africa with a group of social media influencers in order to promote a real estate company belonging to a Nigerian, said Emeka Rollas, president of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria.
Nwobu’s lawyer had accompanied them as he is the legal adviser to the Nigerian firm that organised the trip.
“[We] were shocked to receive calls from Nigeria to confirm the passing away of the young man, while we were still debating how to break the news to his family,” Mr Chukwudi said.
In July, Nwobu survived a road accident which at the time led many people to wrongly speculate that he had died.
The actor was not married and is not survived by any children, reports say.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has peeled back the layers of his carefully guarded personal life, recounting in striking detail the night that forced him to confront his worsening relationship with alcohol.
In a sit-down with content creator Oga Obina, the man once known for his strict moral compass revealed a past clouded by youthful recklessness, dangerous decisions and a near brush with death inside a Nakuru army barracks.
Maraga, today a presidential aspirant and respected elder in the Seventh Day Adventist church, said his struggle with alcohol began long before he stood in courtrooms or presided over the Supreme Court.
It started in the corridors of Maranda High School, where he says he fell in with “the wrong crowd,” a group that introduced him to drinking and set him on a path that nearly derailed his life.
“I was baptised in the SDA church when I was still in primary and I was a very well-behaved boy,” he recalled. “But at Maranda things changed. I mixed with people I should not have and that is how I started drinking.”
What began as innocent teenage experimentation snowballed through Kisii High School, then into the University of Nairobi, and later followed him into his early legal career.
By the time he was posted to the land registry in Nakuru as a young lawyer fresh from Kenya School of Law, alcohol was no longer a pastime.
It had become a habit that shaped his weekends, his decisions and, at times, his safety.
He remembers one of those moments with almost cinematic clarity.
After a weekend dash to Nairobi to process documents, he ran out of fuel before reaching Nakuru.
Stranded and unsure what to do, he wandered into Nyamakima where touts helped him gather passengers who contributed just enough fare for him to buy fuel and get back home.
He laughs now, but the underlying truth is that alcohol had already begun dictating his choices.
Then there was the minor accident, a careless bump that he brushed off at the time but later recognised as yet another warning sign.
But nothing prepared him for the night inside Nakuru’s army barracks that would finally jolt him awake.
It was a night of heavy drinking, the type that begins with laughter and ends in a fog.
He says the drinking stretched deep into the night until around 2am, when the world around him went dark in his memory.
He remembers shots of alcohol, loud music, uniformed men letting loose on their off-duty night, and then nothing.
The next morning, he woke up at home with no recollection of how he left the barracks or who drove him out.
“I realised I could have died,” he said, his voice dropping. “I could not remember how I got home. Anything could have happened. That is the day I decided to stop completely.”
He walked into church on January 1, 1991, shaken, sober and determined. He says he never took another drink again.
“That day changed everything. I went to church and never looked back.”
Three decades later, the man who once staggered out of the Nakuru barracks in a daze now stands on the national stage preparing for the highest office in the land.
On June 18, he declared he will run for the presidency in the 2027 general election. His reason, he says, is driven by a sense of duty sharpened by years of public service.
“After talking with friends and thinking deeply about the future of this country, I concluded that it is time to take responsibility for our leadership,” he said. “We cannot allow others to lead us into ruin. That reflection led me to decide to run for president.”
It is a remarkable evolution, a story that begins with a lost boy in a high school dormitory and winds through bars, courtrooms, and finally, the Supreme Court itself.
Yet the turning point remains that night in Nakuru, the night he woke up and chose life over the bottle.
In his own telling, it was the moment David Maraga met the man he was meant to become.
Records about the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 15-year-old girl whose body was found in singer D4vd’s car, have been barred from public release, officials said.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said it received a court order imposing a security hold on the case, and that no details about Ms Rivas Hernandez’s death can be released or posted on its website.
The police department said it requested the order to ensure officers “receive information from the Medical Examiner before the public”.
Chief Medical Examiner Dr Odey Ukpo said the practice of security holds is “virtually unheard of in other counties” and “has not been proven to improve outcomes in the legal system”.
“We are dedicated to serving our community with full transparency; however, the law precludes us from doing so while the court order remains in this case,” Dr Ukpo added.
Police discovered Rivas Hernandez’s remains inside the boot of the impounded Tesla on 8 September, after responding to reports of a foul odour at a Hollywood tow yard.
Rivas Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore in California, had been missing and was last seen in April 2024, according to a missing person flyer cited by CBS, the BBC’s US news partner.
The car, registered to D4vd, had been towed from the Hollywood Hills neighbourhood five days after it had been abandoned.
D4vd, 20, whose real name David Anthony Burke, released his debut album in April and was on tour when the remains were discovered.
He has not commented on the case, but his representatives previously said he was cooperating with police.
A police spokesperson said the case was being investigated by its robbery-homicide division. No arrests have been made.
The county’s medical examiner previously said Ms Rivas Hernandez’s body was “severely decomposed” when it was found in September and deferred making a ruling on how she died pending the death investigation.
When her remains were found in a bag in D4vd’s car on 8 September, the medical examiner said that she was wearing a tube top, size small black leggings and jewellery, including a yellow metal stud earring and a yellow metal chain bracelet.
She also had a tattoo that read “Shhh…” on her index finger – a marking nearly identical to that on the pop singer’s own index finger.
The decomposition of her body indicated that she had already been “deceased for several weeks”, investigators said.
The girl, who lived about 75 miles away from where her body was discovered – had run away from her home repeatedly.
Neighbours recognised the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from El Salvador, as as a girl who would visit the corner store almost daily to buy candy and soda, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Her family, who described her as a beloved daughter, sister, cousin and friend, has said they are “heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss”. They solicited money on a crowdfunding website to pay for her funeral, which took place in October.
The case has also derailed the aspiring career of the viral hitmaker.
His world tour was cancelled within days of the discovery, and Sony Music Publishing reportedly suspended promotion of his sophomore album.
Los Angeles police soon raided the posh Hollywood Hills mansion where the singer was living, just blocks from where his Tesla had been towed.
US retailer Hollister and footwear giant Crocs dropped D4vd from marketing campaigns and Telepatía singer Kali Uchis announced she was taking down their collaboration, Crashing.
The Afters KE African Music Festival, one of the most talked about December entertainment lineups in Mombasa, has been thrown into confusion after South African Amapiano duo Major League DJs were sued in Kenya for alleged breach of contract.
The dispute has cast a dark cloud over the December 13 show that was expected to draw thousands of music lovers to Old Town, raising fresh questions about the reliability of international performers in the country’s fast growing live events scene.
The trouble began when the duo, through their companies Major League Spaces PTY Ltd, Tshipe Project and Balcony Mix Africa, publicly told Nairobi Gossip Club on Instagram that they had never confirmed the Mombasa performance.
They accused the festival of using their images and branding without permission and dismissed the posters circulating online as false advertising.
For fans who had been counting down to their ninety minute set, the announcement felt like an unexpected blow.
Many had already made travel plans and were purchasing advance tickets on the strength of the duo’s appearance on promotional material.
On the other side of the dispute, event organizers Filmex Travels Kenya Limited say they followed every correct step to secure the artists.
Court documents show that a performance contract was signed on October 28 with a fee of twenty thousand dollars.
Half of the amount was paid on November 4 as a deposit, giving Filmex more than a month to roll out marketing and publicity for the coastal festival.
The organizers say they were blindsided when the duo went public with claims that they had no agreement in place.
Filmex argues that the move embarrassed the festival, confused fans and caused severe financial damage.
Lawyer Elkana Mogaka, acting for Filmex, told the Mombasa Commercial Court that the public withdrawal disrupted weeks of planning and threw the entire event into doubt.
He said the organizers had already spent heavily on venue preparation, marketing and logistics and that the sudden change in tone from the artists had pushed the event into crisis.
Filmex is now seeking special damages of five point eight eight million shillings for losses incurred.
The company also wants the South African entertainers compelled to publish a full page apology in two Kenyan newspapers, explaining that their claim of false advertising was itself misleading.
While the court has certified the case as urgent, the matter is far from resolution.
If the restraining orders sought by Filmex are granted, the duo would not be allowed to make further public statements about the booking.
Such an order would keep fans in suspense and leave them unsure about whether the festival will proceed in its original form, whether the headliners will perform or whether a new lineup will be assembled at short notice.
What many fans may not know is that this is not the first time the South African duo has fallen out with Kenyan promoters.
In a separate case before the High Court, Nairobi based firm Six AM Holdings Limited is seeking to recover a deposit of twenty five thousand South African rand that it paid to secure Major League DJs as headliners for an event at the Waterfront, Ngong Racecourse in July 2021.
According to the promoters, the artists confirmed the booking, acknowledged the deposit and allowed posters and marketing to go live in June of that year.
But with about a week to the show, the artists’ management reportedly cancelled the performance and blamed the decision on travel complications linked to Kenya’s listing on a Covid red zone and the duo’s planned movements to the United Kingdom.
Six AM director Yassir Omar says that after the cancellation, the artists promised to refund the deposit and even sent a PayPal notification of a one thousand five hundred dollar payment.
The money was later reversed and the deposit was never refunded.
Omar says he was stunned when he learned that the DJs were in Kenya months later performing at a different event, despite having earlier claimed that travel restrictions made their July booking impossible.
He says he confronted the duo at a hotel in December 2021 where they again promised to pay back the money but never fulfilled the pledge.
The dispute escalated further when the artists performed again in Nairobi in November 2022 at a skating event at a time when the unpaid deposit issue remained unresolved.
Six AM says that attempts to involve the police were unsuccessful because no court order had been issued.
The company has now moved to court seeking orders to have the artists detained by immigration authorities upon arrival in Kenya until the overdue refund is settled.
The promoters also want the court to bar the artists and their management from entering or performing in the country without clearance.
They argue that Major League Spaces PTY Ltd is domiciled in South Africa and has no attachable assets within Kenya, making traditional debt recovery nearly impossible.
The two cases now paint a troubling picture for Kenyan promoters who rely on international acts to draw ticket sales and add prestige to their events.
For fans, the repeated disputes raise questions about professionalism and accountability in cross border entertainment bookings.
Kenya has become a major stop for African and global performers in recent years, but the rapid expansion of the events market has also exposed gaps in contract enforcement and communication between artists and promoters.
For now, the fate of The Afters KE African Music Festival lies in the hands of the court.
Organizers in Mombasa are pushing ahead with preparations, but uncertainty hangs over the headline slot that was supposed to be filled by Major League DJs.
If the duo is blocked from performing or if they refuse to appear, the festival could be forced into a last minute overhaul of its program.
If the parties reach an agreement, the festival might still proceed as originally planned.
Fans who had hoped to dance to a live Amapiano set by the South African stars will have to wait a little longer to know whether their December plans are intact or whether the festival will become another cautionary tale in Kenya’s unpredictable concert calendar.
What remains clear is that as Kenyan audiences grow more discerning and international bookings become more common, disputes like this one will continue to shape the future of the country’s entertainment landscape.
On a cold Saturday night in Eldoret, the kind where the wind cuts through the streets and the city’s clubs pulse like living creatures, a familiar figure slips quietly through the doors of one of the busiest joints.
The DJ is deep in his set, laser lights sweep across sweaty faces on the dance floor and bartenders weave expertly between crowded tables.
Most revellers barely notice the man with a clerical collar walking in with a Bible tucked under his arm, smiling as though he has just stepped into a Sunday service.
A few do a double take. Others whisper and nudge their friends. Some shake their heads in amusement. But once it dawns on them who has arrived, the murmurs spread quickly.
Padre Michael Watenga is in the house.
Padre Watenga at Club Timba XO, Eldoret.
For the past two months, the Anglican priest from the Diocese of Kitale has made Eldoret’s nightlife his newest mission field.
While most pastors wait for congregants to walk through church doors, he has taken the opposite route, choosing to preach in the very spaces many churches write off as dens of sin.
It is a decision he says grew from watching too many young people trapped in alcohol, depression and hopelessness, while feeling judged and shut out of traditional religious spaces.
He first had the idea during a market evangelism session with boda boda riders.
As he stood chatting with them, he kept noticing young men and women stumbling in and out of a nearby club.
They seemed carefree, lost or simply exhausted by life’s burdens. He knew instantly that the church’s message would never reach them if he kept waiting inside a sanctuary.
He approached his bishop, sought permission, received it and started walking into clubs with a prayer and a plan.
His approach is gentle and simple.
He speaks to the club’s management, asks for a few minutes and waits for the DJ to lower the music.
Sometimes the club is packed wall-to-wall with students who chose the venue for its affordability. Sometimes the crowd is older and rowdier.
Once he is handed the microphone, he stands by the DJ booth or at the edge of the dance floor, greets the revellers and begins speaking. His voice is calm, his message brief. Five to ten minutes of encouragement, prayer, hope and a reminder that they are loved. The music resumes almost instantly after he steps aside.
Many go back to their drinks without a second thought. Some wipe away tears.
Others request to speak to him in corners where the lights do not reach. He hears stories of broken families, breakups, depression, suicide attempts and addiction.
He listens, takes their contacts, and offers counselling where he can. He never drinks alcohol, choosing instead a soda as he chats with those who gather around him.
One of his most unforgettable moments happened at MP Oscar Sudi’s Timba XO club, where he walked in dressed in full clerical robes.
The club hostess leading him held a glowing sign announcing his arrival. The energy in the room shifted from curiosity to disbelief to excitement. Revellers cheered, phones came out, and then the club erupted when the DJ played “Uninyunyizie Maji,” a popular Catholic hymn that has somehow found its way into late-night playlists.
The crowd sang along as the priest stood smiling in the middle of the floor. A video of the scene later hit over 1.2 million views on TikTok.
Social media users responded exactly as expected, mixing humour with admiration. One joked about whether the priest had come to bless the bottles or to “pope” champagne.
Another commented that Jesus himself preached to tax collectors and outcasts, so there was nothing strange about a priest in a nightclub.
Padre Watenga embraced the conversation, telling his online followers that drinkers are human beings who deserve to hear God’s love just as much as anyone else. He reminded them that he does not judge and that anyone who wanted him to visit their club should simply invite him.
And, of course, he cheekily added, they should remember to give an offering.
Not everyone in the church is pleased. Some elders say clubs are ungodly spaces and warn that his appearances could send the wrong message. But he brushes off the criticism with the same calm tone he uses on dance floors.
Invitations keep coming from Nakuru, Naivasha, Kericho, Bomet, Kitale and more towns where young people feel forgotten by the church. He has no official travel budget, but small contributions from his online supporters help him keep going.
As he moves from town to town armed with a Bible, a soda and a mission, Rev Michael Watenga says his calling is clear.
If young people are not coming to church, the church must go to them. Whether they are dancing, drinking or wrestling with inner battles in the shadows of neon lights, they are still God’s children.
And on any given night in Eldoret, you might find him standing by a DJ booth, whispering a prayer over a crowd that is learning, perhaps for the first time, that grace can find them anywhere.
Nairobi — Digital sensation and socialite Azziad Nasenya has taken the fight of her life to the Commercial Court, accusing a powerful Nairobi-based Sacco of orchestrating a scheme to unlawfully auction off her luxurious Kileleshwa apartment valued at Sh25 million, despite her claims of having cleared all arrears.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the influencer and financial sectors, the 25-year-old actress and content creator alleges that Qona Deposit Taking Sacco is attempting to grab her property through what she describes as a “malicious and fraudulent auction plot.”
According to court filings, Azziad joined the Sacco in 2023 and was granted a mortgage facility of Sh20.3 million in April 2024 to purchase the high-end apartment.
She immediately began making monthly repayments and had already paid close to Sh900,000 before financial difficulties temporarily slowed her payments.
But what began as a minor delay quickly spiraled into a nightmare.
By September 2025, Azziad owed Sh1.5 million in arrears — a debt she says was fully cleared when the Sacco deducted Sh2.45 million directly from her savings account on September 19, 2025.
Barely five days later, however, she was blindsided by an auction notice published on September 24, 2025, declaring that her apartment would be sold on October 8, 2025, over an alleged debt of Sh21.88 million — a figure she calls “grossly inflated and fabricated.”
“I legally acquired the property and cleared my arrears. The institution is now unlawfully attempting to recall the entire loan and sell my home,” Azziad said in her sworn affidavit.
Azziad’s legal team accuses the Sacco of deliberately undervaluing the property and misleading potential buyers by describing it as a three-bedroom unit instead of its actual four-bedroom configuration, effectively lowering its market value and making it easier to dispose of.
She also claims that the statutory notices required under the Land Act were never properly served, rendering the entire auction process illegal.
Her lawyers argue that the Sacco’s conduct amounts to breach of contract, bad faith, and abuse of power, given that the loan account was not in default at the time the auction notice was issued.
The influencer, who still resides in the apartment, is seeking a permanent injunction barring the Sacco and the auctioneer from selling or interfering with her property, alongside damages for emotional distress and reputational harm.
The dispute has ignited a fierce debate online, with many Kenyans questioning how a young woman celebrated for her success and financial discipline could suddenly find herself in such a dire situation.
Others see it as yet another example of predatory lending and impunity within Kenya’s cooperative movement, where small depositors often find themselves at the mercy of powerful financial boards.
Legal experts say the case will test the strength of borrower protection laws under the Land Act and the Banking (Credit Reference Bureau) Regulations, particularly on whether a Sacco can proceed with a forced sale after clearing of arrears.
The matter is now before the Commercial and Tax Division of the High Court, with the judge expected to issue interim orders on whether to suspend the auction pending full determination.
As the case unfolds, Azziad — once hailed as the face of Kenya’s digital economy — finds herself at the center of a high-stakes financial scandal that could redefine how mortgage disputes involving Saccos are handled in the country.
If the court rules in her favor, it could expose what one lawyer described as “systemic exploitation hiding behind the cooperative movement.” But if she loses, it will mark a painful lesson in the fine print of Kenya’s murky mortgage market.
US singer Chris Brown made a surprise appearance in a London court on Friday for a hearing ahead of his trial next year on charges of attacking a music producer in a London nightclub.
Brown earlier this year, denied attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm, and also a less serious charge of assault causing actual bodily harm, over what prosecutors say was an “unprovoked attack” with a bottle in 2023.
The 36-year-old was not required to attend but appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Friday, where he spoke only to confirm his name.
Brown appeared in the dock alongside his co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who has also previously denied the charges against him. The pair’s trial is due to begin in October 2026.
Brown, a two-time Grammy Award winner known for hits such as “Loyal”, “Run It” and “Under the Influence”, was granted bail in May after paying 5 million pounds (Sh859 million) in order to begin his “Breezy Bowl XX” tour, which concluded this week.
The R&B star was arrested at a hotel in Manchester, northern England, in May after returning to Britain for the first time since the incident.
The defamation battle between motivational speaker Robert Burale and radio presenter Alex Mwakideu has taken a dramatic turn, with the media personality mounting an audacious defence that has left legal observers stunned.
In a bold move that has sent shockwaves through Nairobi’s legal circles, Mwakideu has admitted to publishing the contested statements but brazenly challenged Burale to prove they were false, arguing that everything aired on his YouTube channel was already public knowledge shared by the pastor himself.
The case, which seeks Sh20 million in damages, hit an unexpected snag at the Milimani Law Courts on Thursday when the presiding magistrate raised concerns about whether the court had jurisdiction to hear a matter involving such a substantial claim.
At the heart of Mwakideu’s defence is a provocative argument that has placed Burale in an uncomfortable position.
The radio host points to Burale’s own book, “From the Strip Club to the Pulpit,” as evidence that the pastor has voluntarily and publicly discussed the very issues he now claims have defamed him.
“Both before and after the interview, he has published a book and voluntarily engaged the public in interviews, podcasts, and social media discussions, admitting, at length, the same subject matter he now complains of,” Mwakideu stated in his response to the suit.
The defence argues that Burale’s public persona and his deliberate choice to share intimate details of his past life undermine his claim of defamation. According to Mwakideu’s lawyer, Dudley Ochiel, the statements made during an interview with Mwakideu’s sister Rozina were truthful, constituted fair comment, and were made in the public interest.
“Where a defendant pleads justification, fair comment, and public interest, the court lacks jurisdiction to grant an injunction,” Ochiel argued before the court, adding that his clients were ready to defend their words in open court.
The admission sparked heated exchanges between the legal teams.
Burale’s lawyer protested that the defence had not been properly placed on record, complaining that confidential court directions were mysteriously appearing online before being officially issued.
“We are concerned that a judicial officer or staff member might be leaking information to the public,” Burale’s counsel told the court, hinting at possible insider leaks from the judiciary.
But Mwakideu’s legal team was having none of it. Ochiel countered that they had duly served all documents by email, saying, “It is true we were appointed yesterday, but we burned the midnight oil and are ready to proceed.”
Radio Presenter Alex Mwakideu.
The defence further contends that the content presented on the YouTube channel was Rozina’s personal testimony, which any reasonable viewer would interpret as her subjective account rather than factual verification by the host.
“The plaintiff has failed to demonstrate any irreparable harm. He remains a prominent public figure, continues to preach and appear on various media outlets, and has not shown any measurable loss of income or status,” Mwakideu argued.
However, Burale paints a different picture. He claims his Christian calling has been unlawfully hindered, and his future attempts to recruit and impact people’s lives as a pastor have been jeopardized by what he terms false publications.
“In addition to the extensive damage and disparage met, the plaintiff has suffered loss, embarrassment, distress and defamation of reputation, credibility and honour,” Burale states in his suit, adding that he has incurred tremendous costs explaining himself to right thinking members of society.
He accuses Mwakideu of breaching professional duty contrary to the Media Council Act and the Constitution, seeking not just compensation but also a mandatory order requiring the journalist to delete the video and offer a public apology.
Just as the legal fireworks were reaching a crescendo, the magistrate threw a spanner in the works by questioning whether the court had the pecuniary jurisdiction to handle a case seeking Sh20 million in damages, an amount that exceeds the Chief Magistrate’s Court limit.
“Before we proceed, your client is seeking general and aggravated damages of Sh20 million. This court’s jurisdiction does not extend that far,” the magistrate observed.
While Burale’s lawyer explained that the figure had been erroneously uploaded from an earlier draft and had since been amended, the magistrate maintained that the jurisdiction question had to be clarified first before any substantive orders could be granted.
The court consequently halted proceedings and directed that the matter be mentioned on October 28 before the Chief Magistrate for further directions.
“Since this court lacks pecuniary jurisdiction, it cannot issue any substantive orders,” the magistrate ruled, leaving both parties in legal limbo.
The case has captivated public attention, pitting a prominent pastor against a popular media personality in a battle over truth, reputation, and the boundaries of public discourse.
At its core lies a fundamental question: can a public figure who has voluntarily shared intimate details of their past life later claim defamation when others discuss the same matters?
Mwakideu’s defence suggests that Burale’s discomfort with public commentary does not constitute defamation under Kenyan law, especially when the pastor himself has made a career of discussing his transformation from a troubled past to spiritual leadership.
As the matter heads back to court for jurisdictional determination, legal experts are watching closely.
The outcome could have far reaching implications for media personalities, public figures, and the delicate balance between freedom of expression and protection of reputation in Kenya’s digital age.
For now, Mwakideu’s defiant stance remains clear: Yes, I published it. But where is the lie?
Renowned Swiss choreographer Joshua Monten is set to make his long-awaited East African debut in Nairobi later this month with performances of his internationally acclaimed dance piece, Linearity.
The four-day series will run from October 28 to November 1, marking a major highlight on Kenya’s cultural calendar.
Produced by Upstage Limited, the Nairobi tour will feature shows at Artzone Studios, the Kenya National Theatre, Alliance Française, and a special street performance at Hilton Square in the city’s CBD on October 31.
The event forms part of Upstage’s global exchange initiative that connects international performers with East Africa’s growing performing arts scene.
Linearity — a work celebrated for its inventive blend of geometric precision and human fluidity — has toured across Europe, Asia, and North America, and now promises to engage Nairobi audiences with its playfulness and thought-provoking choreography.
Monten will be joined by long-time collaborator Jack Wignall for the performances and a series of closed-door workshops with local movement artists.
Monten, who founded the Joshua Monten Dance Company in 2012, has performed at world-renowned venues including the Sydney Opera House, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, and the Shanghai Contemporary Dance Center. A Swiss-American with a background in cultural anthropology and literature, his work bridges precision and spontaneity — exploring rhythm, control, and freedom in the human form.
Speaking ahead of the tour, Loi Awat, Director of Upstage Limited, said the Nairobi performances are part of a broader mission to position East Africa as a hub for world-class artistic exchange.
“We’re thrilled to bring Joshua Monten’s work to Nairobi audiences. This is more than a performance — it’s a conversation between cultures through movement,” Awat said.
The project is supported by Pro Helvetia, with additional backing from Swisslos Culture Canton de Bern and Kultur Stadt Bern.
All performances are free to attend, though audiences are encouraged to RSVP in advance to secure seats.
Members of the public can find more information and RSVP links via www.upstage.co.ke or joshuamonten.com/linearity.
The shocking inside story of how Waithaka Wa Jane’s secret side gig destroyed his European dream tour and left him performing in Rongai instead of Paris
Call it the most expensive mistake in Kenyan music history. Call it the ultimate lesson in reading the fine print. Or simply call it what it really is: a catastrophic failure that turned a millionaire’s tour into a one-way ticket back to Kenya.
Waithaka Wa Jane, the undisputed king of Mugithi music whose electrifying performances have made him a household name from Kiambu to Kansas, just watched nearly six million shillings evaporate before his eyes at a German airport. The reason? He thought he could play both sides of a contract and get away with it.
This isn’t just another tale of an artist getting duped by shady promoters or falling victim to the ruthless entertainment industry. No, this is the story of how one man’s decision to chase a quick buck at Ngemi-Germany cost him the opportunity of a lifetime, an eleven-city European extravaganza that would have cemented his status as Kenya’s first truly international Mugithi superstar.
The drama unfolded like a badly scripted Nollywood movie, except this time the consequences were devastatingly real. Picture this: Waithaka and his three-man crew, fresh visas in their passports courtesy of Connect Africa and Rafikis Entertainment, landing in Germany with dreams of conquering Europe. But instead of being greeted by adoring fans and flashing cameras, they were met by airport authorities ready to shut down what was supposed to be the performance of a lifetime.
Connect Africa had rolled out the red carpet for Waithaka. They’d meticulously planned an ambitious tour spanning two months and eleven cities across eight countries. Hamburg, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Berlin, Antwerp, Munich, Amsterdam, The Hague, Brussels, Paris, Milan, and Rome. The itinerary read like a bucket list for any serious artist. Each city represented not just a paycheck but a chance to build an international fanbase, to perform on stages that most Kenyan artists only dream about.
The promoters had done everything by the book. On August eleventh, they’d written to the German embassy in Nairobi, formally requesting visas for four individuals: John Waithaka Mwangi himself, DJ Dibul, guitarist Simon Mwangi, and drummer Paul Kuhia. The visas were granted, covering the entire period from late September to early November. Everything was set. The contracts were signed, the venues were booked, and the 38,500 Euros, nearly six million Kenyan shillings, was waiting to be earned.
But then Waithaka made the fatal error that would unravel everything.
Somewhere between securing those golden visas and boarding the plane to Germany, the Ngemi organizers in Germany came calling. They wanted the Mugithi sensation for their cultural event, and they wanted him immediately. For Waithaka, it must have seemed like hitting the jackpot twice. Why not squeeze in one extra performance before the official tour kicked off? What harm could it do?
Everything, as it turned out.
What Waithaka either didn’t know or chose to ignore is that when a promoter sponsors your visa, they don’t just own your scheduled performances during that period. They own you, period. Every appearance, every show, every single time you step on stage while that visa is valid falls under their jurisdiction. It’s not a suggestion. It’s international law, and it’s written in black and white in virtually every serious performance contract that involves visa sponsorship.
The contract, which insiders have confirmed was crystal clear on this point, explicitly stated that any additional performances during the visa period required notification to the sponsors and renegotiation of terms. It’s standard practice in the industry, designed to protect both the artist and the promoter from exactly this kind of disaster. But Waithaka never made that call. He never sent that email. He simply boarded the plane with his crew, probably thinking he could pull off both gigs without anyone being the wiser.
Connect Africa found out. How they discovered the secret Ngemi performance remains unclear, but discover it they did, and they moved with the precision of a military operation. By the time Waithaka’s plane touched down in Germany, the trap was already set. Airport authorities were waiting, and the dream tour was over before it even began.
The arrest was brief but humiliating. More importantly, it was the death knell for what should have been the biggest payday of Waithaka’s career. The entire European tour, months of planning, thousands of euros in advance bookings, the chance to perform in some of the most prestigious venues across the continent, all of it cancelled in an instant because of one unauthorized gig.
This weekend, Waithaka was supposed to be in Antwerp, Belgium, preparing for a Sunday night show that would have added another healthy chunk to his earnings. Instead, according to his own social media posts, he’ll be performing tonight at the Opal Lounge in Rongai. From the glamorous stages of Europe to a local joint in Rongai. The contrast couldn’t be more stark or more tragic.
The real scandal here isn’t just about one artist making a monumentally stupid decision. It’s about the systemic failure that allowed this to happen in the first place. Look at the visa application list again. Waithaka Wa Jane, DJ Dibul, a guitarist, and a drummer. Four artists. Zero managers. Not a single person whose job it was to read that contract, understand the implications, and advise the star on what he could and couldn’t do.
In the cutthroat world of international entertainment, you need more than just talent to survive. You need people who understand the business, who can navigate the legal minefields, who can tell you when chasing one extra payday will cost you ten bigger ones. Waithaka apparently didn’t have that person, or if he did, he chose not to listen.
This isn’t rocket science. It’s basic contract law. When someone sponsors your visa for a tour, you’re entering into a binding agreement that governs your entire stay in that country or region. Want to add extra shows? Fine. But you pick up the phone, you notify the sponsors, you renegotiate the terms, and you make sure everyone’s on the same page. It’s not complicated. It’s not even particularly difficult. It’s just necessary.
The tragedy is that this could have been a win-win situation. Connect Africa might have been open to renegotiating. They might have agreed to let Waithaka perform at Ngemi in exchange for a percentage of the fee or an adjustment to the tour schedule. They might have worked something out that satisfied everyone and kept the tour alive. But they were never given that chance because Waithaka never bothered to ask.
Now the Mugithi star is back in Kenya, his European dreams in tatters, his reputation taking a serious hit, and his bank account six million shillings lighter than it should have been. The other three members of his team, who presumably had no say in the decision but are suffering the consequences anyway, have also lost out on what would have been a career-defining opportunity.
The entertainment industry is watching this debacle unfold with a mixture of schadenfreude and genuine concern. For every established artist nodding knowingly at another cautionary tale, there are dozens of up-and-coming musicians wondering if they too might fall into the same trap. The lesson is brutal but clear: in this business, ignorance isn’t bliss. It’s bankruptcy.
Waithaka Wa Jane is talented enough to recover from this disaster. He’ll continue packing venues across Kenya, his fans will keep streaming his music, and eventually this embarrassing chapter will fade into the background. But the six million shillings he lost and the international credibility he damaged won’t be coming back anytime soon. And every time another promoter considers booking him for an overseas tour, they’ll remember the artist who couldn’t follow a simple contract and wonder if he’s worth the risk.
The Ngemi performance in Germany, whatever Waithaka was paid for it, has become the most expensive gig of his career.
Not because of what he earned, but because of what it cost him. In trying to have his cake and eat it too, he ended up with nothing but crumbs and a cautionary tale that will be told in artist workshops and management seminars for years to come.
So tonight, while Waithaka performs at the Opal Lounge in Rongai to make ends meet, spare a thought for what could have been. Picture him on stage in Paris at a sold-out venue, the Eiffel Tower glittering in the distance, thousands of Kenyan diaspora and European music lovers singing along to his Mugithi hits, 38,500 Euros richer and well on his way to becoming an international sensation.
That was the dream. Instead, he got a brief arrest at a German airport, a cancelled tour, and the dubious distinction of becoming the poster boy for why every artist needs to read their contracts and, more importantly, actually follow them. In the unforgiving world of international entertainment, that’s not just good advice. It’s survival.
