Nairobi News

It would appear that rewarding trending TikTok personalities do not sit well with Saumu Mbuvi, the eldest daughter of former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko.

Over the past few years, some Kenyans who trended on social media for one reason or another ended up getting lucrative opportunities to make money.

These people either stood in line at a polling station while eating food, danced, whistled, told a joke, did a skit or parody of influential people, or did an unexpected action in public.

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Some of them, went on to become brand ambassadors, got jobs, and got state appointments and others went on to build businesses based on this instant fame.

Saumu believes that these people trended because jobless graduates who spent time on social media to ward off depression were the reason they trended, and companies should look to hire people who struggled to get an education instead of giving state appointments and brand ambassadors opportunities to social media personalities who are famous.

“I guess we are all entitled to our personal opinions, and this is what I honestly think: Do you know why Kenya is so loud? Because we are active on social platforms.

These (active people) majorly are our very smart graduates that have been jobless for years, and social media is the only platform giving them distractions not to fall into depression- which to some it works, and to some, it worsens their situations too.

To see themselves always have to put in so much effort in their education but still have no opportunities.

Why can’t we create opportunities for these youths instead of giving opportunities to funny trends on TikTok- which is still popularized by these jobless youth? TikTok…has made life a little bit interesting. We are turning into a country where education will be a scam to many. What of us parents raising our kids in an old-school way?

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For the world’s richest man to target Kenya as his next point of investment, then this can probably tell us there is so mych more to our country that we don’t even know. Could we involve these youths? No offense, but I was shocked to see a Form Four student hacking a whole system with no training, which really amazes me. If such a boy was given the necessary support and platform, I’m sure we will be raising our own Elon Musk. Those JKUAT boys are always cracking the system, every day there must be a story on the headline about them.

Give these boys a chance and a platform to prove themselves. So many of our youths are way too smart and jobless, voiceless, and left hopeless. Yet they might be the answer to all our problems. Technology is the future, not entertainment. No offense on that. As I said, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion,” said Saumu on February 14, 2023.

Her sentiments come on the heels of Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts, Ababu Namwamba, giving state appointments to actors, musicians, comedians, and  TikTok stars among others in his newly formed Talanta Hela Council technical committee.

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