Kenyan entertainment industry witnessed all sorts of drama in 2022 but there were also many positive stories reported.
There is a general consensus among many people to see Kenyan songs compete favourably with foreign music which have dominated the country’s airwaves.
Eric Omondi, even though he is leading a campaign to have local media stations play 75 per cent Kenyan music, has clashed with the very musicians whose interests he is advocating for.
Many artistes wonder why Eric is keen on ‘fixing’ the Kenyan music industry yet he is not even a musician himself. Some including Sauti Sol lead singer Bien-Aime have challenged the comedian to raise the bar high as a comedian by excelling on the international stage before he can criticize local musicians for failing to get to the level of the likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Diamond Platnumz and artistes who stand tall on the African continent.
THE GOOD
Music aside, 2022 has also seen the rise of video bloggers (vloggers) emerging as celebrities. The likes of Mungai Eve, Terence Creative, Thee Pluto, Vincent Mboya etc now command more followers on social media than mainstream celebrities.
Anyone can easily observe that YouTube videos shared by vloggers on their channels quickly get more views than songs shared by musicians on the video streaming site.
Advertisers are taking note of vloggers commanding more followers, and the vloggers are increasingly being picked as brand ambassadors to lead marketing campaigns yet only a few years back brand ambassador gigs were a preserve of only the crème de la crème of the music industry.
Terence Creative seems to be the most sought-after brand ambassador as he is featured in nearly all TV commercials.
THE BAD
The Kenyan entertainment industry has also seen quite nasty things this year; clout chasing, celebrity nudes and insane scandals sparking an outbreak of public anger and excitement alike.
Vera Sidika and Stevo Simple Boy emerged as the queen and king of clout chasing in 2022.
Vera broke the internet when she duped Kenyans claiming that she had her butt implants removed after she developed complications.
The socialite only wanted to create a buzz before she dropped a new song. Stevo Simple Boy likewise duped Kenyans that he was about to marry Jenny Wangui whom he 'dated' for about two months only for the lass to reveal later that their relationship was only for chasing clout.
THE UGLY
Gospel singer Mary Lincon in November became more famous for her leaked nudes than for the songs she sings.
Lincon set tongues wagging after she was seen naked like an animal in the leaked sex video.
Social media was awash with nude photos and videos of Mary Lincon moments after blogger Martha Hinga posted on Facebook that they were in possession of very disturbing images of the singer.
Akorino model Carey Priscilla and her husband Benito Muriu also raised eyebrows when they were seen having intercourse in the bathroom in a video shared on social media.
A video of Diana Marua confessing she used to sleep with men for money also sent social media into a frenzy.
In the video, Diana narrated how she used to have flings with men galore explaining how each man played a specific role in her life like one was for paying her rent, another catered for her house shopping etc.
The video was first uploaded on Diana's YouTube channel on October 26, 2020, but it went viral again in November 2022 as netizens trolled Bahati's wife - with many people poking fun at her body count.
Now that the curtains are coming down on 2022, one can't help but wonder what 2023 has in store for Kenyan showbiz.
