Kenya: Kikwetu drive-in fest hits some speed bumps

The festival, however, hit a few snags including low turnout. The Carnivore Grounds has a capacity for about 500 cars, but less than 40 turned up. A quick inspection of the event's Facebook page and it was clear that the organisers had not done enough publicity, including releasing the full line-up on time. “If they released the programme early enough, then I’m sure more people would have come,“ a fan said. “Also, the performances started later than the time that was announced.”

It also emerged that the organisers were unable pay the performance fee that was promised to some artists. Well-known rapper Nonini did not perform becasue he was not paid and took to Facebook to express his displeasure with the organisers. 

One of the organisers, Buddha Blaze, said the festival had made a loss but that they were working on ensuring that everyone on the bill got paid. “In regular situations, artists are supposed to be paid all fees before they perform,” he said. “But we had an unusual situation, and we communicated it to the artists. We are doing the best we can so all artists are paid.”

Them Mushrooms bandleader John Katana said: “It's nine days since we performed and there's been no accurate communication. We are now making plans to seek legal redress. Speaking as one of the officials of the Kenya Musicians Union, the way the event organisers conducted themselves with reagard to performance fee payments is a gross disrespect to the musicians. The union will contact the event organisers to compel them to pay up.”

Despite these issues, the performing acts gave it their all, with the live bands on Day 1 standing out artistically. The highlight performers were Kenge Kenge Orutu System who gave a fantastic delivery of traditional benga music. They played on the theme of kikwetu (our ways) and brought it out impressively, and kept their dance moves lively and rhythmically sharp. 

As expected, the co-creator and ‘King of Ohangla‘ Tony Nyadundo did not disappoint. As with the typical live ohangla set, it was difficult to discern where one song ended and the other began. A soaring mouth organ, smooth piano, and delicate bunde drum percussion all supported Nyadundo baritone voice perfectly.

Day 1 also saw the return of celebrated Kenyan band Them Mushrooms. The group does a lot of corporate gigs and less mainstream live events, so for most fans their performance was a welcome surprise. The band is known for ‘Jambo Bwana’, a well-known song that promotes Kenya as a tourist destination. The consensus was that it would be great to see this band perform more outside the corporate circuit. 

A special mention must go to the Gravitti Band, which successfully backed up several artists including Swahili jazz maestro Juma Tutu, whose dynamic set teased the audience with quick tempo changes.

Brian Sigu took the 'Artist to Watch' title. With less than three years in the music scene, the young guitarist has a commanding stage presence. His apparent stage shyness seemed to have no bearing on the crowd enjoying the concert. Watch out for this act.

Despite all of the impressive male artists, the female standout performance came from Binti Afrika who is recognised as a saviour of conscious music. 

Day 2‘s line-up, comprising mostly hip hop artists on playback – such as Khaligraph Jones, Jua Cali and Nafsi Huru – appealed to the younger audience members. But it was Wakadinali‘s performance that stuck. Ignoring the hip hop crew's energy was impossible. The gifted rappers make music that is both politically important and artistically astute. Although you won‘t hear them on radio or TV, the statements they make are a game changer. Fena Guti, meanwhile, brought a full band onstage, unlike her hip hop colleagues on the day. 

The best moment at the festival belonged to guitarist extraordinaire Benjamin Kabaseke who delivered several epic solos during his performance with celebrated musician Eric Wainaina.