‘TikTokers are making Ksh 300k a week,’ – Comedian Anombi reveals
By Grace KerongoMusician turned-comedian Arnold Kamidi, a.k.a Anombi, the TikTok algorithm has been his friend. Following the rules, he now goes live three times a day, saying it is worth his time.
“Converting gifts to money which is quantified in dollars is easy because once you get the gift, you attach your account to a PayPal account, and you can pay it on Mpesa.”
“The highest amount I have ever spent in one match is Sh7,000, and the biggest gift I’ve ever received is Interstellar, which cost 10,000 coins. The gifter is based in the US. I don’t know him. He doesn’t know me. He just came into my life and gifted me,” Anombi told Nairobi News.
@anombi #stitch with @_aq9ine_
♬ original sound – Anombi
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A coin costs approximately Sh1.5 (USD 0.01 cents). So if one gets a gift of 10,000 coins, this translates to $100.
Anombi’s typical day involves scheduling three live sessions.
“I wake up at 8am and go live on TikTok until 9am, then I take a break, and I come back again at 4pm, then I take a break, and then I go live again from 8pm to 10pm. We have guys who go live all night and sleep during the day.”
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This is because they have gifters who join live at different times, so they stay on and wait for them in the hope of joining.
“We have three types of gifters, some will come and gift you and expect nothing from you, and then the second gifter will gift you, and in exchange, you give them followers. This is what grow hosts do. The third type gifts you so that when they go live, you will gift them back,” he explains.
He continued, “Sometimes TikTokers will award someone a lion, and then they’ll record it and post it in their TikTok accounts, people will see, and they will know that you can gift. That will also attract followers who will expect that you will gift them when they go live so when you also go live.”
@ezra_thura @kingangi_backup @kingangi_official you are the best🤗much love 🤗🤗#ezra_thura_tg #fyp #kenyancop🇰🇪 #makeitviral😎
♬ original sound – ezra🇺🇸
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Anombi said many Gen Z TikTokers now eke a living from the app. It is their bread and butter.
“It can pay your bills, but you have to work for it. It is not a walk in the park, but it pays very well. It also depends on how long you are live because we go online for three hours and get 10,000 or more in a day.”
He added, “People are making money out here. Some make as much as Ksh 300,000 a week.”
The pressure to get eyeballs on one’s account has led to cases of clout-chasing and unconventional means to attract gifts.
“Some of the unconventional ways that people used to grow their accounts is through nudity. You’ll find a lot of ladies who are frustrated by not having views and likes on their content, so they resort to this.”
@candysweet24 My አምበሳ🦁👑@Fro Eticha Thank you Kingooo🤴 #habeshatiktok #tiktoklive #tiktokgift #liongift #lion #ethiopian #thankyou
♬ original sound – Neba kolegnawe
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Anombi says that they don’t care about the implications of this.
“They just want to be famous no matter the means, no matter the style that will give them fame, they don’t care because from there they will be able to go live, get user engagement and get more gifts and as a result get the money.”
He notes, “In Kenya, there are no jobs, and you have expenses, Tiktok provides the opportunity to make cash instead of going into crime.”
“Most Kenyan TiK ToKers love gifters from abroad because they will spend around $100 per live.”
But the downside of this all is that in case one fails to get gifters, this can affect their mental health, according to experts.
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