With nine months to go to the 2027 general election, the battle for Kenyan votes is being fought on TikTok, X and Instagram as much as at rallies. On Jeff Koinange Live, Jeff brought three of the country's most-followed voices to the bench: content creator Eric Omondi, filmmaker Abel Mutua and content creator GK Serkal.
The central question was blunt. When an influencer posts about government projects, should they say if they're being paid? The challenge to pro-government creators was to "say it with your chest": state clearly who you support, rather than pass off campaign messaging as neutral commentary.
The counter-argument was just as firm. Content creation is a career, the panel heard, and monetising influence is no different from PR firms or advertising agencies doing government work. "Is content creation a career path or not?" one panellist asked. On that point, everyone agreed it is.
The deeper divide was about loyalty. One side argued that artists must always "stand with the people," because governments come and go. They cited every president from Kibaki to Ruto and said creators should never become spokespeople for whoever holds power. The other side asked why civic education or praising visible development counts as abandoning the people at all.
A third view was aimed at the audience. Influencers are within their rights to back whoever they like, one panellist said: "Do not let them make decisions for you."
The conversation also covered a controversial post about suspending parts of the Constitution to fight corruption. Its author said the clip was taken out of context and explained the analogy with the emergency limits on movement imposed during COVID-19. The chapters run from the ethics of influencing to constitutional reform and monetising influence, which makes this one of the season's most-watched debates. Whichever side you take, it is a preview of how the 2027 campaign will be fought online.
Continue with Part 2 on Citizen TV.
Jeff Koinange TV
Jeff has been reading Kenya's political mood for decades, and on his own channel he does it on his own terms. Subscribe to Jeff Koinange's official YouTube channel, @JeffKoinangeTV, for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, personal vlogs and the conversations that keep going after the lights go down on the bench.