Alikiba to pocket Sh9m for simply saying ‘I do’
Bongo flava superstar Alikiba will make up to Sh9 million for walking his longtime girlfriend Amina Rikesh down the aisle in an invite only ceremony on Thursday in Mombasa.
Since the news of the artiste’s wedding broke early February, details of the event have been kept top secret with very little information being shared by Alikibas’ team.
Nairobi News, however, understands and can confirm that the reason the wedding plans have been kept under wraps all this while is because Alikiba entered into a contract agreement with Tanzanian leading broadcaster Azam TV for exclusive rights to air the two weddings in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.
The pay TV, owned by 69-year-old Tanzanian business billionaire Said Salim Bakhresa, will live stream the Swahili wedding in Mombasa and a week later in Dar es Salaam.
Whereas some media outlets have reported that Alikiba parted with a huge sum of money to have the wedding aired on Azam TV, sources close to the artiste have refuted the claims.
It’s is for that reason Alikiba has kept details of the ceremony a secret so as to respect the binding terms of contracts that gives Azam TV all the exclusive rights to air the event or sell to other outlets.
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In return, Alikiba will be paid a sum rumored to be in the region of between Tsh100 million to Tsh 200 million (Sh4.5 million to Sh9 million) for the deal.
“Sio kweli mzee sasa kama ‘bosi’ analipia harusi ili iwe aired kwa nini aifanye kuwa siri? Ukweli wa mambo ni kwamba yeye ndiye kapiga mkwanja mrefu hapa. Tunazungumzia mamilioni ya pesa na ndio maana kawa kimya na vitu vimefanywa kwa siri kubwa ili kuiheshimu ule mkataba unaoipea Azam all exclusive rights ya kuipeperusha,” the source disclosed.
Whereas the Kenyan wedding is expected to be a colorful one, the second wedding planned for April 29 in Dar es Salaam is set to be bigger and more glamorous with former Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete among the invited guests.
The Muslim wedding (Nikkah) will be held at Ummul Kulthum Mosque whose construction was funded by the family of Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho.
The ceremony will be begin at the mosque in the morning with the after party slated for Diamond Jubilee Hall which has a capacity of 500 guests.
The hall has been rented for Sh70,000 with the decor only estimated at Sh2 million.
LUXURIOUS HOUSE
At the same time, it has emerged that the musician has moved his fiancée‘s family to a bigger and more luxurious house ahead of the big day.
This, according to sources, is to enable he family to have a spacious abode to accommodate the numerous guests who have been arriving for the wedding.
The bride’s mother, Asma Said, said she didn’t expect her daughter to get married to the Tanzanian crooner.
“Kijana ametoka Tanzania na kuja kuoa Kenya, mimi sikujua kama mtoto wangu ataolewa na Alikiba lakini Mungu ndio aliyepanga,” she said.
Governor Joho is among the high profile guests who will attend the ceremony.
The bride and groom have been dating since 2016 but have managed to keep their relationship off the limelight, with only a handful pictures of the bride to be being shared online.
Meanwhile, with just a few hours remaining to the big occasion, preparation have hit top gear.
On Wednesday afternoon, the event organizers were busy putting the final touches at the wedding venue.
With only a few hours to the ceremony, Alikiba and his crew have been booked at English Point Marina Hotel, which is not far from the bride’s home in Kongowea.
Additional reporting by Hilary Kimuyu and Ahmed Mohammed