Tanzanian’s love music and celebrity vibes and I guess that’s why most of their artists have massive numbers of followers on social media particularly Instagram. Most known Tanzania socialites launched their career’s after being featured in Music Video as video vixens and its always an added bonus for models to be featured in top artists music video back in TZ.

Last year an upcoming Kenyan celeb by the name Zahara Zaire was featured in Tanzania’s Ali Kiba NAGHARAMIA music video and from then Tanzanians have shown her superstar support on her social media.

The photos below were shot and widely shared on social media  in Tanzania.

The wife of former Manchester United player and one of the world’s richest footballers David Beckham arrived in Kenya on Thursday.

Victoria Beckham jetted to Kenya to support the Beyond Zero Campaign, an initiative started by the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta to reduce maternal and child mortality.

Victoria visited Limuru, Kiambu County in the company of her son Brooklyn and was received by Philomena Kabogo – the wife of Governor William Kabogo.

Mrs Beckham thanked the locals for the warm reception she had received before donating a mobile clinic and an ambulance.

On June, 28, Mrs Melinda Gates, the wife of American business mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates, paid a visit to the country in support of Margaret Kenyatta’s campaign.

Melinda announced that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would partner with the Beyond Zero initiative to scale up access to quality healthcare services for mothers and children.

The latest visit will boost the Beyond zero Campaign which many Kenyans have lauded for improving the health situation in the country.

When a discussion on racial discrimination is raised, many Kenyans would think that it only happens when you travel to a continent where your race makes the minority – not in Africa. 

How would you feel if you are racially discriminated against in your own country? Well, you will most probably feel disappointed. That is what caused a national outrage that led to the closure of a Chinese restaurant in Nairobi in early 2015.

The restaurant in Klimani had a policy of not admitting blacks after 5pm.

It appears that it was not the only one as Kenyans continue to be discrimination against in their own country. One Nairobi lawyer was also a victim and  witnessed it and he was not amused.

Lawyer Donald Kipkorir went online to share his experience of racial profiling, mainly by waiters, at one of the restaurants in Nairobi on October 10, 2015.

The post eleicited similar sentiments from Kipkori’s friends on the social media platform. Some of those who commented als shared their encounters naming the restaurants that apparently treated the badly due to their race.

The complaints about racial discrimination in the hospitality industry are not limited to Nairobi alone. Several local tourists who visit the coast have also claimed to have been treated badly in some hotels.

Racial discrimination is real in Kenya that even the Kenya Coast Tourism Association Chairman Mohamed Hersi is not denying.

Hersi said that racial discrimination is caused majorly by ignorant or badly trained staff who tend to treat white customers better because they perceive them as superior.

It seems Barrack Obama experienced this same racism back in 1990 according to a video footage of him discussing his visit to Kenya.

American RnB singer Chris Brown arrived in Mombasa County on Saturday morning for the much anticipated concert dubbed #MombasaRocks.

The singer, who is in the country for the first time, touched down at the Moi International Airport at around 11:40am.

The Award Winning International artist was accompanied by members of his crew and will perform alongside Wizkid, Vanessa Mdee, Ali Kiba and Uganda’s Navio  at the event scheduled to start at 2pm.

The show is expected to be the one of the biggest ever held in East Africa, with unverified reports indicating that the sponsors will be splashing about Sh150 Million for the concert.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has hyped the event urging partygoers to get their own tickets as he had already acquired his.

Here is the video:

Hassan Joho even requested ODM leader Raila Odinga to post about the concert which many are associating with Joho as a way of raising funds for ODM Party.

Bobby Shmurda, the young rapper whose celebrity was fast growing until his 2014 arrest, was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison on weapons charges.

A New York court handed the sentence to the 22-year-old rapper, whose real name is Ackquille Pollard, in line with a plea deal which he sought to reject at the last minute.

“I was forced to take this sentence,” Shmurda told the judge, according to the New York Daily News and tweets from inside the courtroom.

But Judge Abraham Clott confirmed the seven-year prison term, ruling that there was no need for more time to review the case.

Shmurda’s career boomed in the months before his arrest thanks to his song “Hot Nigga,” which is full of references to guns and street life. The song — edited for mainstream radio as “Hot Boy” — climbed to number six on the US singles chart.

The song went viral thanks to the accompanying “Shmoney Dance,” which features moving elbows in and out. Pop stars including Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber soon showed off their own Shmoney moves.

In signs of a burgeoning career, Shmurda was signed to Epic Records and performed on the late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” days before his arrest.

Prosecutors said that Shmurda was part of a gang involved in shootings against rivals in Brooklyn, with police reporting that they seized 21 guns from Shmurda and seven associates.

Shmurda, who argued that his gun was a prop, last month accepted the deal to plead guilty to two counts in return for the seven-year sentence, which includes time already served.

Such plea bargains are common in the US judicial system. Shmurda told Complex magazine last month that his lawyer warned him that he would struggle to make his case in court.

“Who are they going to believe, the word of this black kid talking about shooting shit up or the word of white officers?” he said.

We have info that Obama administration threatened to bomb Ecuador if they do not cut off Julian Assange’s internet link!

This info is not confirmed and will never be, but we are almost sure in our source.

This is what is official by now.

According to The Gateway Pundit:
Secretary of State John Kerry demanded the Ecuadorian Embassy in London cut off Julian Assange’s internet be cut off. Wikileaks tweeted the development on Tuesday.

McClatchy reported:

Wikileaks said Tuesday that Secretary of State John Kerry asked Ecuador to stop WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, from publishing leaked emails that could disrupt peace negotiations with a guerrilla group in Colombia.

Assange, who has been in refuge in Ecuador’s embassy in London for more than four years, saw his access to the internet cut over the weekend.

BREAKING: Multiple US sources tell us John Kerry asked Ecuador to stop Assange from publishing Clinton docs during FARC peace negotiations.

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 18, 2016

” WikiLeaks blamed the U.S. government, saying Secretary of State John Kerry had requested the move.

“The John Kerry private meeting with Ecuador was made on the sidelines of the negotiations which took place pricipally on Sep 26 in Colombia,” WikiLeaks tweeted.

But the State Department rejected the allegation.

“While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false. Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period,” spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.”

President Uhuru Kenyatta made good his promise and set free 7,000 petty offenders who were about to clear sentences, saying this would decongest prisons and create enough space to accommodate “big fish” corrupt officials in government.

“Na Chief Justice (David Maraga) yuko hapa. Tumewachilia hao wezi wa kuku na ng’ombe na hizo vitu zingine ndogo ndogo. Now that space can be used to jail wale mabwenyenye wa mali ya umma,” said Mr Kenyatta in off the cuff remarks at Machakos Stadium where this year’s Mashujaa Day was held.

President Kenyatta made the promise on Monday during the State House Summit on Governance and Accountability where he ranted that independent government agencies were frustrating the war on graft. He proimised to release the petty offenders so that the looters of public resources could go to jail.

LANGUISHING IN CELLS

He repeated the pledge as he witnessed the swearing of Justice Maraga at State House, Nairobi, saying the executive is keen to partner with the Judiciary in ensuring Kenyans receive efficient services.

President Kenyatta observed that at the moment there are 20,000 Kenyans languishing in cells because of delayed judgments in courts, saying that is costing both the taxpayer and the victim’s precious time and resources which could be channeled to other economic activities.

“These Kenyans are told their files are lost or some other excuses when they appear in court. It costs us to feed them and keep them in cells,” added the President.

“Yes we have seen dramatic judgments, but at the same time we must say we have witnessed major weaknesses that exist in the judiciary.”

Play the video for Kenya’s President speech on Mashujaa Day Ceremony held on 20th October at Machakos Stadium in Machakos County. In the speech President Uhuru Kenyatta pardoned 7,000 petty crime offenders in Kenyan Prisons.

Kenyan music stars shone the brightest during the third Annual Africa Music Magazine Awards, where they bagged three trophies, thrusting the country into the limelight.

Kenyan boy band Sauti Sol walked away with the Best Africa Group gong by trouncing the likes of Radio and Weasel from Uganda, Yamoto Band from Tanzania, R2Bees from Ghana, Mi Casa from South Africa and Bracket from Nigeria.

The second trophy went to female singer Akothee, who bagged the Best Female Artiste East Africa award. The ”Give It To Me” and ”My Sweet Love” singer beat fellow Kenyan crooner  Victoria Kimani, Tanzanian counterpart Vanessa Mdee, alias V Money, and Ugandan Sheebah Karungi.

Controversial gospel star Willy Paul beat a large field dominated by Nigerians to emerge with the Best Gospel Song award. He beat the the high-riding Nigerian gospel star Sinach, veteran musician Sonnie Badu from Ghana, Uche Agu and Frank Edwards both from Nigeria.

HIP HOP ARTISTES DID NOT FARE WELL

King Kaka and Octopizzo did not fare well, as they lost to Phyno from Nigeria in the Best Rap Act category. The same fate befell video director Enos Olik, STL, DJ Joe Mfalme and Producer Visita, who all lost in their categories.

Firstly, I am not impressed having to write anything about this #MombasaRocks Concert that featured CHRIS BROWN , Wizkid and other foreign artists. This was an insult from the word go when the list of performing artists lacked Kenyan artists among them. There were rumours that Redsan, and Nazizi were slated to perform .

Thousands of people were expected to show up at Nyali Golf Club for the Mombasa Rocks Festival. With opening acts by Nigeria’s Wizkid, Tanzania’s Alikiba and Vanessa Mdee, Kenya’s Nazizi and Uganda’s Navio, it was billed as the event that would set the bar for other international concerts.

Sadly, it was not. The general consensus was that the show was a flop, and a vindication of promoters who have brought washed-out but lively artistes. A show where the main act is paid a whopping Sh100 million should have tongues wagging weeks after his plane has left the country.

But it seems that many things did not go well. From the low turnout, lack of local artistes — save for Nazizi — on the line up, to the drama on who exactly was behind the show.

The turnout was approximately, 2,000 people when the organizers expected 10,000+ to make a profit. Another issue was the charges considering Chris Brown attracts fans who are below 30 years of age 10K was too costly for a 90 minute performance.

So what went wrong? According to Mombasa events organiser and director of Extreme Entertainment John Chacha, many factors contributed to the show’s dismal outcome.

“Fans were very excited to see Chris Brown but the turn-out wasn’t very good. There were less than 2,000 people there and the organisers were expecting a crowd of about 10,000 people. I think they missed the point on many key factors, like ticket sales and advertising,” he said.

Chacha says that had the organisers enlisted the help of major media sponsors, the event would have got more traction. And it would not have cost them so much, considering that the main act, Chris Brown, was paid Sh90 million.

“The promotion hype began only three weeks to the concert. For someone like Chris Brown, this should have started four months to the show. Chris Brown’s target market is people under 30; these are college children and they cannot afford Sh10,000 for a show,” he says.

Many took issue with the ticket prices, considering that they were to travel from Nairobi. The concert started off as a rumour and nobody came forward to address this until the star posted a video confirming it, just a week to the show. Still, many people were sceptical. The uncertainty and the price tag did not mix well; many opted to watch it on Instagram and Snapchat as posted by those who attended.

BIGGEST MISTAKE

“You have to keep in mind the revellers had to cater for their transport back and forth, food and accommodation,” Chacha adds.

Kiss 100 morning show presenter Shaffie Weru says although the turnout was not what the organisers expected, it was an overall entertaining show. “The turnout was bad but the good thing is he showed up and performed. Things could have been better and different, but I can’t fault Chris Brown. He is an entertainer, he is a great studio artiste but he is not Beyonce. He is not like Sauti Sol or those artistes who cherish their talent in live performances,” he said.

Shaffie says that unlike Wizkid, who rehearsed and performed with a live band, Brown did not. He came with a deejay, two dancers and a guy to control the lights while he was on stage.

“The low turnout could not have disappointed him,” he says. “He was paid and that’s what matters”.

But Chacha cites the high ticket price and believes that was the show’s biggest mistake. He says that if the target audience had been given more time to come up with the money, fans even from Eldoret would have showed up. He says the organisers would have done better if they had offered lower ticket prices to fill up the Nyali Golf Club.

Regular tickets were sold at Sh10,000 and VIP went for Sh20,000. VVIP tickets were going for Sh50,000.

Before he landed, social media was abuzz with jokes on the ludicrous concert prices. On Twitter, Kenyan Prince wrote: “A regular ticket to Chris Brown concert is 10k! I’m waiting for someone to start #SomeoneTellChrisBrown; while Chito Ndhlovu said: “The Chris Brown concert is only $100, which is 10K in the 254, which really doesn’t make it expensive… You just gotta sell a kidney or two.”

Is it possible that the star might have been disappointed when he stepped on stage only to find less than 2,000 people? He often performs for almost 10 times that number.

“An artiste of his calibre is used to big crowds. If you were there, on stage, it looked like there were about 800 people because people were scattered. In South Africa, he performed for about 25,000 fans, so this was very disappointing. If it’s true they are planning on bringing Nicki Minaj, they had better prepare well in advance,” says Chacha.

Advertising and ticket sales aside, many who attended the show complained of Brown’s performance, which they termed “tame” as he didn’t seem to giving it his all.

Like Shaffie, Chacha commends Wizkid. “He (Wizkid) killed the show, and had Sauti Sol been chosen to represent Kenya instead of Nazizi, they would have stolen the show,” he says.

This is not the first time that the American singer has been accused of shortchanging fans. Last year, according to South African publication News24 when he was in Johannesburg, a furious fan expressed displeasure at his performance.

“Oh my God! I have paid a fortune. My money has gone down the drain,” he said.

Another fan who is a songwriter and SA Music Award’s Best Male Artist nominee, Kabomo Vilakazi, took to Twitter to express his anger, saying Brown’s concert was the worst he had ever seen. “Miming is disrespectful… being bad at miming is… That Chris Brown took us for fools,” he said.

UNIMPRESSIVE CURTAIN RAISERS

But the Mombasa revellers were not only short-changed by Chris Brown, they also felt cheated by the curtain-raisers who lip-synced through their sets, letting play-back music do the work for them. Videos posted on YouTube attest to this fact.

Tanzanian pop star Vanessa Mdee might have been the biggest culprit. Although she nailed her dance routines, she struggled to sing live and was breathless throughout her act.

Even after Music promoters made losses after importing foreign artists people were not getting it until a study report by PwC gave its hard facts on Local Content in Africa.

Demand for homegrown contemporary music is sweeping Africa and driving a creative boom in an industry otherwise battered by falling CD sales and rampant piracy.

A recent study of the entertainment sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accountants showed rapid earnings growth in many African countries, fuelled largely by live performances by local artists.

“Consumers are increasingly wanting local content,” Vicki Myburgh, a PwC director who conducted the study released last month, told AFP.

“The Nigerian music market… will (soon) grow at nearly 13 percent annually, which is a fantastic rate.”

This weekend, African talent will be celebrated in Johannesburg at the annual MTV Africa awards set up in 2008 to recognize those “who have made the most impact on African music and youth culture”.

Contenders for the artist of the year category are Nigerian afro-pop stars Yemi Alade and Wizkid, South African afro-house DJ Black Coffee, Kenyan singers Sauti Sol and Diamond, from Tanzania.

The increasingly prestigious awards tap into the continent’s fast-growing youth market and its expanding consumer base, with Africa’s total population projected to jump to two billion by 2050.

New rhythms

A few decades ago traditional African folk music dominated the industry, but the trend has shifted.

Now, driven by a hunger for local tunes rather than output from the pop hubs of the US and Europe, African artists are mixing traditional African beats with new rhythms to produce cross-genre sounds.

“It’s the local content that’s going to drive growth,” Myburgh said.

“The one sector that has done particularly well over the last five years is live music. It goes to show what people want – they are prepared to pay a huge amount to go and watch a live concert.”

In contrast, piracy hollows out sales volumes.

“There’s lot of music being heard but not necessarily being paid for,” she added.

Nevertheless, in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, revenue from the music industry grew an estimated four-fold in the two years up to 2015, according to PwC.

The growth streak is forecast to continue, despite the country slipping into recession recently due to low oil prices.

Kenya is also forecast for a strong growth, at about 9.3 percent a year between now and 2020.

And African musicians are not only appealing to domestic consumers, but also generating more interest abroad through tours and collaborations with big international names.

“The African music scene has been very dynamic,” said Claire Henoque, music promoter and owner of France-based Tour-makers.

“What is so attractive is the ability of African musicians to blend with other music genres.”

‘Breaking down boundaries’

Young artists like Black Coffee, Nigeria’s D-Banj, Don Jazzy and Tiwa Savage are now taking over from veterans such as Youssou Ndour and Hugh Masekela to clinch deals and work with Western performers such as US rapper Jay Z.

“We see a lot of African artists now performing and touring overseas,” Leo Manne, vice president of music channel Trace-TV Southern Africa, told AFP.

“And now you see the influence of African music in American music – listen to (Canadian rapper) Drake.

“African music will always influence global music. When the slave ships left Africa they left with the drum beat that continues to travel the world.”

Saturday night’s ceremony, hosted by South African comedian and US television star Trevor Noah, will be broadcast live across the continent, with US hip hop superstar Future also due to perform.

“Africa’s music industry is thriving and growing,” said Alex Okosi, senior vice president of Viacom International Media Networks Africa, which runs the MTV Awards.

“The growth is being driven by innovative artists that are breaking down boundaries and reaching Africa’s enormous youth population through their music.”

Source: AFP

There was drama at one of Tanzania’s TV Shows -Enews that airs on EATV television when a young man by the name Calisah who was last week rumoured to be sleeping with Top Tanzanian Actress – Wema Sepetu claimed to have no idea who her now ex boyfriend Idris Sultan is?

The young man began by saying, ” “Wema is a beautiful girl, sexy and every man’s dream, na mimi pia ni mvulana mzuri ambaye mwanamke yeyote angependa kuwa na mimi, akiwemo Wema mwenyewe,”

He went ahead to ask “Idriss who?  Big Brother what? Which year?,” which most people found not only funny but arrogant.

Former president Mwai Kibaki’s grandson, Sean Andrew Kibaki has been in the news since he appeared at his Grandma’s funeral some few months back.

Sean Andrew, who is a model, released a sneak peak of a shoot he did in Amboseli National Park with Zuri Art, Pixel Inc and Quartie Photography. He shot to fame in May 2016 when he hit the podium to eulogize his late grandmother and former First Lady Lucy Kibaki.

Read also: Mwai Kibaki’s Grandson Sean breaks up with His Girlfriend Elodie

Sean, is a student at the United States International University, who dons healthy looking locks and loves traveling and photography. He also models under In Vogue modeling agency.

But this post is less talking and more looking, so let’s get to it.

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Image: SeanMwai/ Instagram

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Image: Pixie Inc

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Image: Pixie Inc

4. 

Image: Quartie Photography

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Image: Quartie Photography

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Image: Quartie Photography

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Image: Quartie Photography

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A song that speaks to the strength of a woman; a special tribute to every superwoman out there rising above, time and time again. Special thanks to the ladies on the video who gave their time and shared their stories.

Timmy Tdat as expected doesn’t seem to be stopping dropping jams anytime soon. This year alone he has released more than 6 singles that have gone to be radio hits and the ‘Welle welle’ hitmaker keeps going

Oh My God! Yes, I said it. Nyashinki is back and he is not minding which lane to stick to whether ‘secular’ or the ‘sacred’ Gospel music industry in Kenya that for sometime has all failed artists from ‘secular’ side running to. Nyashinki is not failed he just wants to be in all lanes doing what he does best-good music.

In his latest MUNGU PEKEE song he comes had with the most witty lyrics that will make other ‘gospel’ artist take a songwriting class.

Last weekend, First son Jomo Kenyatta married his longtime girlfriend in a discreet traditional Kikuyu wedding.

So private was the ceremony that, until now, the identity of Jomo’s bride was unknown.

Achola Fiona Ngobi is her name. She was said to be from Nyanza but she is of mixed Kenyan and Ugandan heritage.

Achola’s mother, Ruth Theddesia Ngobi is sister to Cabinet Secretary for Defence Raychelle Omamo.

Achola’s maternal grandfather, William Odongo Omamo was a minister for Agriculture, Minister for Environment and Natural Resources and a former member of parliament for Bondo and Muhoroni Constituencies.

Achola attended prestigious schools, starting at Pembroke House before traveling to South Africa where she studied at St Anne’s Diocesan College.

According to St Anne’s Diocesan College’s website, the soon to be Mrs. Kenyatta was a bright-all-rounded student who won numerous academic awards and served as Vice-Captain for the netball team.

Achola and Jomo will reportedly walk the aisle in a white wedding early next year.

Here are photos of the First Daughter in Law:

Achola (left) with her sister Bukky Ngobi

SOURCE : Nairobi Wire