Rose Nasimiyu’s story on K24

Rose Nasimiyu’s touching story aired last night on K24’s Capital Talk show is a representation of the thousands of voices that are undergoing intense pain and suffering at the mercy of Cancer. Our prayers go out to Rose and thousands of other innocent Cancer victims. God’s grace will take you through.
Thank you also to Jeff Koinange, Capital Talk show and K24 for the story. This is indeed the reason TV was made.
In case you missed the show last night, just click here to check it out on you tube.
Jeff Koinange continues this weeks theme of Against all odds on Capital Talk,at 8.30 pm and repeats at 10 pm.

Tusker All Stars.Not as bright!!

There is no fooling me that the ongoing show calling itself the Tusker All Stars is about discovering and nurturing (already discovered and nurtured) talent. To me it’s more of publicity stunts by the sponsor EABL and some crop of greedy producers. Before you judge me, here’s why I am so bitter with the show.
Here is a collection of vocally talented young men and women, some of whom have been out of the Project Fame Academy( the project that was supposed to have discovered them in the first place),for even three years. Yet, of all these guys, only Alpha and Davies have gone on to actually record and produce a song. What has Hemedi, the oldest face in that show been doing all this time???
We could put up with Ng’ang’alito performing Wyre’s songs during the talent search, but two years later, please!!if i want to hear a rendition of a 1970’s pop song, I could get that at Karaoke. If at all Usher was to come, and these contestants were to go curtain raise, would he do a Wyre song?? Why not have the real Wyre do it?
Where’s your stuff guys? And if you do not have any by now, do you really deserve the tag of an all star. Seriously.
Previous contestants who have been considered as losers have gone to become accomplished artists in their own right. Wendy and Nakaaya are just two artists who never won the so called coveted prize but have just gone on to show the public just how much passion can take you farther than record deals and cash prizes to back them up.
Away from the artists and we come to the show itself. I must admit that I like the concept of the pub and the couch and after much bashing from the social media, Eve d’Souza has done well to lose the apron she had on the second episode of this show, much to the cleansing of the perception of the pub. But these five steps forward got us nowhere as the introduction of Judge Ian Mbugua brought us back by an equal five steps in the opposite direction. I was one of those who criticized Atul’s presence in the first show, but if you had to replace him with Ian, then I take back my words, better the angel I don’t know. Joey is improving, bringing her innocently girly outlook to the performances as Atemi tries to give us her insiders view, but all in all, this show is turning out to be, a failure.
Kenyan TV deserves better.

Week of Premieres:Kenyan productions coming of age

To a very large extent, last week, (the week of June 20th – 26th) was one of Kenyan TV and film biggest weeks in recent times. The week witnessed the premier of three quality productions which continue to show that local productions have indeed already come of age.
Briefcase Inc.

It all started on Wednesday 22nd with the post dated premiere of Briefcase Inc on KTN. The show was a week late with the real premiere slot having been scheduled for the 15th but postponed due to Parliamentary proceedings that went on into the late TV prime time hours.
The show follows the simple story of a young man coming from the US to try and eke out a living back home. Pressures from home and external factors as well play out rather humorously as the young man ends up teaming up with another young man for their business venture.
The good thing about the show, according to KTN, is the simplicity of the story. The script writer, one Yafesi Musoke (Village Christmas, Village Easter), has done quite a remarkable job in keeping the story simple yet very relevant. Teaming up with his wife Joyce Musoke (Better Days), this duo is certainly raising the bar as to what a deeply thought out quality production is all about. Or have I spoken too soon…..we await to see whether this show will live up to its billing.
Ndoto za Elibidi

Friday, June 24th, the 20th Century Fox cinema played host to a silver screen premiere of a Kenyan movie, Ndoto za Elibidi, just a week after another Kenyan film The First Grader hit the screens.
The difference with these two screenings however was the fact that unlike The First Grader, Ndoto za Elibidi is a purely local film featuring local actors and crew. Produced by SAFE, a community theatre group, the film is themed on HIV/AIDS and how a slum based family and community come to terms with the various effects of the epidemic. With sub topics ranging from stigma to myths to risky sexual behavior and cultural practices, this film cuts across all these aspects without coming off as being preachy as most morally themed films tend to.
Having won the Zanzibar Film Festival award for Best Film, the Film is set to score big with the Kenyan audience, especially considering its real language and setting.
Tusker All Stars

Gaetano Kagwa (Big Brother Africa, Studio 53), yes, he of the Gossip girl fame, teams up yet again with his elegant Capital FM breakfast host Eve d’Souza ( Vibe City) in this glamorous music performance show. Produced by Endemol, the same company that does Tusker Project Fame, the show has brought together past winners and runners up of previous tusker project fame seasons apart from season 1.
The show is all right apart from Joey and Ajul’s combination which is supposed to represent what we back at home are thinking about the performances. They seem to be quite off tune……..not exactly the best pairing if you ask me.
Future productions
With these shows and many more in the pipeline set to grace pour screens very soon, as the demand for more local content picks up, the future of Kenyan TV seems to be getting brighter with each passing day.

OLD IS GOLD

This Saturday, and every other Saturday after that from 2:30 in the afternoon to 6:30, you get a chance to be treated to the best in past episodes of NTV local programming. An initiative they are calling NTV Gold. The likes of shows like Guy Centre, Wash and Set, past episodes of Samantha bridal show and funny man Churchill’s Top Comic show are all up for screening.

Local TV has never before received so much priority. A few years ago, it’s only KBC “The leading broadcaster” who had such a schedule airing what they termed as “KBC classics” every Sunday afternoon – though they no longer do. Citizen soon followed suit with repeats of past episodes of their very long line up of local shows among them; Tahidi High, Inspekta Mwala, Mother in law,Papa Shirandula and the latest talk of the town show, Machachari. KTN is now doing the same, still on Sunday afternoons.

With NTV choosing to play it safe by airing them on Saturday’s, you can be sure to catch all the bits that you might have missed of your favourite Kenyan TV shows.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

As a kid in primary school, I remember watching John Sibi Okumu on KTN’s “The Summit”, host among others former President Daniel Moi and Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. To be honest, that to me looked like a big deal. My perception of Sibi Okumu and KTN grew by leaps to an incomparable level of admiration.

It has taken more than a decade for another local journalist or talk show host to engage such high profile guests in an honestly unbiased and wittingly objective interview. Thankfully, that has come to pass over the past few months with K24’s Jeff Koinange hosting on his famous bench among others; former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and ICC’s chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo. Museveni also made an appearance on NTV opposite Linus Kaikai, another prolific interviewer who unfortunately, failed to live up to expectation on that particular evening, though we can’t blame him.

Indeed starting during the holidays and now a regular part of their News feature, Citizen TV embarked on a pretty interesting venture spearheaded by Evelyne Wambui and Sylvia Chebet of living out a day with some of these big wigs in their natural, uninhibited informal settings titled “Newsmakers”. They went on to feature William Ruto, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and a list of other notable names are yet set to appear.

Lately however, it’s been the undoubted king of Kenyan comedy, Churchill who has been asking these guys what Kenyans have always wanted to ask or here them being asked. Seeing these guys on Churchill Live enables the viewer to see them in a different light. We get to see them in a livelier, homelier, more human side. There is no doubt that yesterday’s show was to a large extent, a significant achievement for Mr. Dan Ndambuki. Without sounding like a hero worshiper, I think the Prime minister’s presence on last evening’s show, as well as Nollywood star Desmond Eliot’s appearance really took Churchill live to another level.

At the end of the day, these guys are just human beings, not some semi immortal demigods, as we would like to view them.

My challenge to all these talk show hosts and feature presenters; get for us Mr. Kibaki, at least before his term ends….…..I’m sure Kenyans would really appreciate………Jeff, Churchill, Evelyne Wambui, Sylvia Chebet and Linus…..kazi kwenu.

GAETANO IS A GIRL

And one full of gossip at that. Either that or he should explain why he was presenting last evening’s episode of Gossip girl. The show usually presented by Kiss TV’s sassy entertainment reporter Ruhila Adatia was last evening hosted by former Big Brother Africa housemate and Capital FM presenter Gaetano Kagwa.

Borrowing it’s name from the hit American TV show, the Kenyan version of gossip girl however airs ‘gossip’ stories of both local and international celebrities.

Our advise to Gaetano; please consider having the show’s producers change the name to gossip boy, if you are the one going to be hosting  it.

WHO KILLED MR. MWAZAMBO?

Perhaps that’s the big question begging to be answered in this season’s episodes of Maxford Media’s Noose of Gold series. Just in it’s second episode now, the investigation into this powerful politician’s murder is already taking shape Mr. Temu played by veteran actor Ken Ambani  expectedly appearing as police’s biggest suspect yet.

It remains to be known just who exactly ordered the assassination of Mr. Mwazambo and for what reason. Another interesting line of events to follow will be whether the relationship between Mwazambo’s wife and Mr. Temu will flourish yet again or whether the new entrant, Mwazambo’s brother will be the new catch.

Noose of gold airs every Wednesday evening at 8.30pm on NTV.

KTN’S EXTREME MAKEOVER

Word has it that KTN is about to go through an extreme makeover. In an initiative being termed as ‘Strengthening KTN’ the station is calling upon both upcoming and independent producers to submit proposals for comedy’s, reality TV or drama TV shows to be considered for production later on in the year.

The move is seen as a strategy for the station to reposition itself yet again as the leading broadcaster, a title it used to boast of a couple of year’s back.

With the demand for local programming growing by each day, if implemented, this move will be a huge stride towards the right direction for Kenyan TV.

Kenya TV

Welcome to Kenya’s latest blog.Just like it’s name suggests, this is a one of a kind blog that will focus towards highlighting the ongoings within our local TV stations. From news anchors to the actors to the Big questions from the day’s bulletins, to the actors and the daily shows.

This is a blog meant at nurtutring and encouraging appreciation of our local TV content. we believe that in the process we will provide encouragement for more upcoming actors and producers to deliver quality productions into our TV sets.

Kenya TV….this is TV according to Kenya.