Navigating the political landscape can be a precarious endeavor, especially considering the tendency of shrewd politicians to discard artists and entertainers once their electoral purposes have been served.
Renowned rapper Denis Kaggia, widely known as DNA, recently touched on this saying that as much as Kenyan artists dream to headline campaigns, they need to understand that it has positives and negatives.
The rapper unveiled the truth behind the misconceptions surrounding the earnings from his hit song ‘Banjuka’ during the late Mwai Kibaki’s campaigns. In an interview on the CTA show, DNA revealed the actual figures and the challenges he confronted due to false reports.
Providing insights into the financial aspects of his involvement in the Kibaki campaign, DNA stated:
“I had high hopes for the Kibaki campaign because it presented an opportunity for substantial business. We embarked on road shows across Kenya, and they compensated us with Sh7 million. However, my take-home was only Sh2.5 million.”
DNA clarified that his life took a chaotic turn when fake reports surfaced, falsely claiming he had been paid Sh30 million.
“Blogs reported that I received Sh30 million. My life spiraled into chaos. It’s bewildering when people think you have Sh30 million in your pocket,” he disclosed.
Contrary to the exaggerated reports, DNA clarified that he only received 2.5 million shillings from the Sh7 million earmarked for the campaign.
Breaking down the figures, he shed light on deductions for a broker and taxes imposed by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
“I ended up with less than 50% because, within that Sh7 million, there’s a broker, a portion for KRA, and then there’s our share. A significant 30% of that money went to a broker,” he explained.
DNA also emphasized the positive aspects of the campaign, highlighting the valuable connections he established with influential figures in the political sphere.
“I encountered people I wouldn’t have met without this deal, so sometimes you accept being taken advantage of. Payment also took a while. We started doing shows for them, earning 50k to 100k shillings, but this too wasn’t entirely mine as I had to split it with the label. Nevertheless, there were many shows,” he added.
