BREEZY BLOGS

President Yoweri Museveni's government has taken responsibility for facilitating Ugandan music icon Joseph Mayanja, alias Jose Chameleone,  treatment abroad from flamboyant socialite, singer, and businesswoman Juliet Zawedee. The legend, who began his music career in Nairobi as part of Ogopa Records Artiste, was last week flown to Boston, USA for specialized treatment for what is reported to be acute pancreatitis. Doctors in Uganda diagnosed the singer's pancreas as inflamed and in need of major surgery. His illness was made public by his eldest son, Abba Marcus, who revealed that his father was suffering from acute pancreatitis. The condition can be caused by long-term alcohol consumption. Amidst criticism, Marcus revealed that his father had been an alcoholic for many years and even claimed that he had ignored the doctor's advice to stop drinking. Several Ugandan entertainment websites reported that Chameleone's longtime friend, US-based singer Juliet Zawedde, had of...

In 2024, the Kenyan music scene witnessed the release of more chart-topping albums and Eps from artists. Here's a look at some of the most notable releases gracing our playlists this year. The party and the party after _Bensoul Arguably one of the hottest albums of 2024, this was Bensoul's second album as an independent artist since parting ways with Sol Generation Record. The Lion of Sudah's second album, Bensoul shows his versatility with this project, experimenting with different sounds. The album features some of 2024's biggest hits such as Okra Water and Extra Pressure , which has racked up six million views on YouTube. Disko - Kodong Clan It is currently the trending album in the country thanks to one of its massive hits, Disko . Released on 12 December, Kodong Clan - a music collective comprising Okello Max, Coster Ojwang, Bensoul, Charisma, Modecai Dex, and Watendawili - released their self-titled album. This -track project celebrates Kenya's diverse cul...

Influencer Nana Owiti has opened up about coping with life after separating from rapper King Kaka, her ex-fiancé, and the father of her children. The two celebrities had been together for 13 years.   2024 was one of the hardest years and also one of the best. It's a balance, I guess. Turning things around after the breakup hasn't been easy, but we're hanging in there. I thank God. His grace has been amazing, He has given me clarity.   I didn't like how I was doing after we announced the split. But thanks to bloggers, they made it viral with all the things they wrote about me. I never trended in Kenya and I trended for the wrong reasons. I don't like it.   I was molested as a child by my uncle. I was nine and lived with my grandparents in the country while my mother worked in Nairobi. That explains why we never had a deep connection.   My deepest regret in life was not telling my mother in black and white about my childhood molestation experiences before she died. ...

Renowned American music producer and musician John Legend will headline the Move Afrika tour, which kicks off in Kigali, Rwanda on February 21 and in Lagos, Nigeria on February 25. Move Afrika Tour is an initiative of Global Citizen in partnership with acclaimed American rapper Kendrick Lamar's entertainment company, pgLang. Lamar himself headlined the 2023 tour, which also took place in Kigali, and now organizers say next year's tour will expand from East Africa to West Africa, with Nigeria now joining Rwanda as a host country. The tour will kick off with Move Afrika: Kigali at the BK Arena on February 21, before moving on to Move Afrika: Lagos, where it will take place at The Palms on February 25, 2025. "I am honored and excited to perform in Kigali and Lagos as part of the Move Africa Tour. Africa has always been a global cultural powerhouse, and it's an honor to be a part of the future of live music on the continent." Legend said in a statement. The tour is G...

When Congolese rhumba maestro Koffi Olomide landed in Kisumu over the weekend ahead of the much-hyped Msuqa festival that left rhumba enthusiasts utterly disappointed, he promised to deliver a memorable performance. "I love Kenya, I love my job and I am not used to talking a lot and promising things. I prefer to act, to perform. (Kenyans) know me and I am sure they will go home happy," Koffi said in his press conference in Kisumu. But that wasn't to be when the time came, causing an uproar among rhumba enthusiasts who had bought tickets that sold for Sh15,000. The revelers had to wait until 3 am for Koffi to appear on stage and when he did, he spent less than 20 minutes on stage, not performing but rather hyping up the charging crowd as his hits played from an auto-tune. It was clear from the start that he wasn't going to perform, as he appeared on stage without his Quarter Latin Band, as is always the norm. Koffi never performs without his band, led by his partner C...

Divorced and separated women own more phones than their married counterparts, a new information and communication technology (ICT) report shows. The analytical report which provides data on ICT usage in the country published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics is based on data from the 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey which interviewed more than 45,000 Kenyans. The report found out that by 2022, 80.4 percent of male and 77.5 percent of female Kenyans in the country own phones with nine out of ten urban dwellers and seven out 10 rural dwellers owning the devices. The proportions of the male population aged 15-49 currently living with partners and those currently married recorded the highest mobile phone ownership at 95 percent and 94.9 percent respectively. Widowed Kenyan males ranked third on phone ownership at 87.2 percent, followed by separated men at 76 percent and divorced males at 74.2 percent. Among women, however, the report shows that, unlike their male counterparts...

BY SINDA MATIKO Most Kenyans are hooked on content about Love, sex lives, and dating according to the latest report by the giant Swedish audio streaming platform, Spotify. According to the report seen by Nation, Kenya which is among the top three countries in Africa with the biggest market share of podcast growth behind South and Nigeria respectively, raked over 400 million minutes of streaming in 2024. South Africa led with two billion minutes followed by Nigeria’s 700 million minutes. Cumulatively almost four billion minutes of audio podcast played in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024. “Numbers don’t lie. Podcasting is here to stay because it lets creators take control of their narratives and tell these stories on their terms while bringing their community along for the journey.  South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya listened to the most shows this year, with South Africa contributing over two billion minutes. If you started playing podcasts on one device today, it would make for about 30 c...

In the heart of Laikipia in northern Kenya, lies a popular sundowner spot on the Borana Conservancy that costs tourists a generous amount of dollars to enjoy a meal, or a drink as they catch the sunset. Some visit the spot at dawn to do yoga as they catch the magnificent sunrise. So popular is the spot nowadays people do advance booking. A great grey rock dubbed ‘pride rock’ hunches over the vast plateau of the 32,000-acre conservation like a gigantic frog about to leap onto the savannah below. In the far distance rise the massive shoulders of the second highest peak in Africa, Mount Kenya. It is this rock that is the famous battle scene in the popular Hollywood animated movie and the biggest Walt Disney franchise  The Lion King is fought in the latest prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, to be released next Friday on December 20 th . It was for this pride rock in Borana Conservancy that  Simba  the lion cub fought his battles. From this rock, his father  King Mufasa ...

Diamond Platnumz won't refund organizers the US $150,000 (Sh19.3 million) he was paid to perform at the botched Furaha festival in Nairobi last Saturday. The Bongo Flava sensation headlined the concert held at the Nairobi Polo Club and was the only act on the night to fail to perform despite being paid in full. In a video, he shared while in Paris explaining what transpired, Diamond squarely blames the event organizers for their complacency, which led to his failure to perform. According to the singer, he kept every part of the bargain as per the contract between his management and the organizers of Furaha Fest, but instead, they let him down. "I am an artist who has tremendous respect for my job. There have been a lot of fabricated stories as to why I didn't perform for my fans at the Nairobi Polo Club. To set the record straight, I arrived a day early (Friday) before the event as the headliner as stipulated in the contract. On the day of the concert, I arrived at the ve...

Journalist-turned-filmmaker Omar Kibulanga is among 11 filmmakers who were recently awarded US$10,000 (Sh1.3 million) each for their winning short film pitches at the Some Fine Day Pix awards ceremony last week. Kibulanga's short film Makonde made the cut from 60 filmmakers who pitched their work to the Some Fine Day Pix jury. Some Fine Day Pix, a platform that provides comprehensive training and financial support to East African filmmakers, both digitally and on location in Kenya, who independently develop, pitch, and produce their stories as part of its program, held a two-day intensive pitching session in Nairobi from December 2 to 3, where 60 filmmakers who had applied to the competition when the call went out presented their work to the jury. This culminated in an awards ceremony where 12 of the 60 filmmakers were honored. The event celebrated the talent and innovation of the 12, who impressed the judges with their exceptional storytelling and business acumen. "The film...

Newly elected Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed, 47, has reiterated his campaign promise to transform Kenyan football following his resounding victory in today's election held at Indoor Arena, Kasarani. Hussein, who ran a well-oiled campaign flanked by former Inter Milan midfielder McDonald Mariga as his vice president, garnered 43 votes to beat close rival outgoing vice president Doris Petra. Petra who was flanked by outgoing president Nick Mwendwa bagged 31 votes while former FKF CEO Barry Otieno got 10 votes. Petra immediately conceded defeat but the vote went to the next round between the top two to confirm Hussein's victory as the winner needed to bag at least 45 votes (50  percent) from the 90 delegates participating in the polls to meet the constitutional threshold. Otieno and Cleophas Shimanyula, who received four votes, all threw their weight behind Mr. Hussein. "VICTORY FOR KENYAN FOOTBALL! Thank you to all the delegates who believed in ...

MC and presenter Claudia Naisabwa has given flowers to her former boss, comedian Eddi Butita, for protecting her from male celebrities and industry players who preyed on her when she first ventured into the Kenyan entertainment scene. Ms Naisabwa says she was just 19 years old and still in school when she landed her first job as a presenter at SPM Buzz, an entertainment hub owned by the comedian. The bubbly Claudia says she was naive at the time and didn't know how the industry worked, but Butita was there to guide her, including advising her on her social interactions with industry players. This, she says, helped her a lot, especially in preventing her from falling prey to male celebrities and other industry players. "There are a lot of challenges (in the entertainment industry for young girls like me). There is the good and the bad and I promise you there are wicked people everywhere. I know people in the industry who are monitoring spirits, wicked people who have done thin...