Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy, Dennis Itumbi, used a tense moment during the funeral of the late comedian KK Mwenyewe in Githirioni village, Limuru, to announce that a job opportunity would be offered to one of KK’s close friends and fellow content creator.
The funeral on Wednesday, July 23, drew scores of mourners who came to bid farewell to KK Mwenyewe, the comedian best known for his humorous impersonations of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. He passed away while receiving treatment at Kiambu Level 5 Hospital last week.
Itumbi, while paying tribute to the late comedian, announced that fellow content creator and close friend of KK, comedian Kafengo, would soon be offered a job opportunity aimed at supporting and strengthening Kenya’s digital content creation landscape.
“Kafengo was working with KK Mwenyewe. Many people online have told me that we can work with Kafengo. I will work with him and give him a job so that he helps us address digital content creation matters,” he said amid claps from a section of mourners.
“That’s not just a story; he will get a job starting Monday.”
Before the announcement, Itumbi faced a cold reception from mourners despite his efforts to pay tribute and speak on government interventions in the digital economy space, with sections of mourners interrupting his speech with chants of “wantam” and “uongo.”
Also Read: Ruto Gifts KK Mwenyewe Family Ksh1M as UDA Politicians Splash Cash Donations
Itumbi speaks on Facebook monetization
Having been involved in the planning and fundraising efforts for the funeral, he had just begun explaining how creatives in Kenya can seek redress if their Facebook pages have not yet been monetized.
“All those things that have been said here, which the government should do about content creators, I am the one in charge. The challenge faced by these content creators is how to earn money through the content that they share,” Itumbi said.
“The first thing is monetization, which has been enabled on all platforms except TikTok. We are still in talks with them to enable monetization in Kenya. Since this regime took office, Facebook approved monetization for Kenyan creators and is now paying for content shared,” he added before being met with jeers from a section of mourners who chanted “wantam” and “uongo” accusing him of lying.
Itumbi, in response, while trying to hold ground, said, “I don’t think these content creators have “wantam.” Content creation is a lifestyle.”
He then encouraged any creator whose Facebook page is yet to be monetized to send an appeal to the email address [email protected], promising that the government would follow up to ensure monetization is activated.
Heckling during KK Mwenyewe’s funeral
But the tension in the crowd escalated when Itumbi spoke of broader government interventions, including the suggestion for creatives to form financial cooperatives.
“You need to create your own SACCO, which we will support to ensure you have money,” he said, urging creators to organize themselves into sustainable financial units.
Also Read: Gachagua Faces Backlash for Mourning Death of KK Mwenyewe
One mourner, however, shouted “Uongo!” in protest, prompting Itumbi to push back.
Despite the heckling, he completed part of his message before his speech was abruptly cut short.
“It is our duty to ensure content creators earn their money. You can shout all you want, but these content creators need money in their pockets. We will ensure money gets to their pockets,” he responded.
Ahead of the burial, Itumbi had taken an active role in mobilizing resources, revealing earlier in the week that contributions had surpassed the Ksh1.2 million target for funeral expenses.
During a fundraiser held at Blue Springs Hotel, he announced several high-profile donations, including a Ksh1 million contribution from President William Ruto.
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