The celebrated Jamaican artiste Glen Washington has been in Kenya for the last month, with slots for highly anticipated concerts in Nairobi and Nakuru.
There were, however, reports of a dismal turnout at the Nakuru Athletics Club, where he graced the stage last week.
Videos shared on social media by attendees painted the picture that only a handful of people showed up to the November 2 fete.
One Sylvia took to TikTok to post a clip of the near-empty venue, posing, “Nakuru kwani hampendi Reggae (Don’t you like Reggae)?”
She accompanied the one minute video with a caption empathizing with vendors who may have hoped to make good money selling to concertgoers.
Her video blew up on the platform, garnering over 340,000 views, with tens of thousands discussing the situation on the comment section.
“Problem is not the pricing but lack of popularity. I didn’t even know Glen Washington was in Kenya… the event organizer is the problem,” wrote a TikTok user.
Another wrote: “Blame the marketing team, how could I have missed Glen Washington concert, but I didn’t even know.”
More fans said that although the numbers were disappointing, the Reggae icon’s live performance was worth every minute.
“What I witnessed was amazing…guys out here love Reggae, I tell you,” one Denis Kyalo wrote on X.
“Nakuru people mliangusha (you disappointed) legend but he put up a great show!” Brygettes Ngana, a journalist, wrote on social media.
The extravaganza, dubbed PERAK Pamoja Festival, was organised by Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurant Association of Kenya to celebrate its 20th anniversary, per Tuko.
There were conflicting reports about the event, with some praising Glen’s beautiful performance and others criticizing the commercial success of the show.
Ghafla notes: “This has sparked a broader conversation on the marketing strategies for international artists in Kenya, suggesting a need for more robust promotional efforts to match the caliber of visiting stars.”
