Did celebrities go to the streets for clout?

MC Gogo and DJ Grauchi during the protests.

During the height of the anti-Finance Bill protests, numerous celebrities joined fellow Kenyans on the streets, urging President William Ruto not to sign the bill into law.

Unlike previous demos, the mood was different, a carnival of some sort. DJs, hypemen, dancers, content creators and thespians were seen holding placards and they made sure the photos appeared on their pages - with thousands of followers.

Soon after, the protests turned chaotic after the infiltration of goons and lives were lost. Police were called out for using excessive force and the Head of State was asked to take action.

On Monday, one Bravin Yuri, a popular X user, called out celebrities for not being empathetic and going back to their lives despite the fact that many lives had been lost.

He claimed most of them went to the streets for fear of being cancelled by their fans and were not genuine.

“Kenyan celebrities are part of the reason the push for change slowed down…are you people even empathetic? Your fans have lost friends, loved ones etc and instead of pushing more for justice, it’s like you moved on.

“The truth that most people do not want to say is that most of you showed up to the streets to avoid being cancelled by your fans and for photo ops…if you randomly ask most celebrities about the details of the Finance Bill 2024, most will not tell you I assure you,” he wrote.

Khalif Kairo

His sentiments were echoed by socialite Huddah Monroe who said she was surprised that no one was posting anymore.

“Myself I was shocked…No one was posting anymore,” she wrote.

Huddah Monroe

For weeks, Kenyans have gone to the streets on Tuesdays and Thursdays to protest the high cost of living.

Dubbed ‘MaandamanoTuesdays’, business has often been paralysed in several parts of the country and in some, looting has been the order of the day.

Goons took advantage of the melee to break into shops and rob passers-by in what has been termed by some as anarchy.

The President has since asked the youth to give his newly-constituted cabinet time to work in a bid to fulfil the promises he made to Kenyans at the beginning of his term.