AMENYA: How Kenyan celebrities become beggars

It is an open secret that most Kenyan celebrities are broke. Most of these so-called celebrities are panhandlers who raise fake standards on social media so that their fans can keep esteeming them. As far as the entertainment industry is concerned, Kenya is peopled with the highest number of scams per square kilometre. These humans portray fake lifestyles of Hollywood celebrities on Instagram and Facebook to be seen to be outshining others.  

In Kenya, when celebrities get money during their heyday, they live flashy lifestyles, which they brag about on social media. They will upload photos of them swigging down expensive drinks with women in five-star hotels and other trendy spots. They eat everything and forget to save.

I am not saying that all of them are extravagant. There are those responsible ones who invest their earnings wisely. There are also those who convince social media users that they are filthy rich yet they are not. They have reduced social media into a bragging tool.

Here, social media is made up of half-lies. These celebrities suffer from attention-seeking syndrome. Everything they do, they will advertise on social media as a way of making a statement and gaining more followers. 

Some celebrities have developed self-esteem issues, especially when their colleagues post photos of their fantastic lives and material success. They come up with flamboyant statuses so that they too can show off because they are obsessed with competition.

Because of peer pressure, they waste whatever money they earn on maintaining a fake lifestyle. Some broke celebrities will always mislead social media users by flaunting huge bundles of cash. Others will take photos with expensive cars and mansions that do not belong to them.

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Vulnerable Kenyans fall for the lies and start to wish for that kind of life. The rubber meets the road when they fall sick and are detained in hospital for failing to pay their bills. That is when you’ll see them knocking on your social media door with begging bowls seeking financial help.

Sometimes back, a comedian posted a fake video of himself in a mansion in Karen worth almost Sh150 million. He even went ahead and produced a fake title deed to buttress his claim. I knew from the start it was fake. In fact, I even left a comment in that regard.

What followed was shocking. Kenyans mercilessly descended on me like bees and lectured me on how hard work pays. They told me to stop being jealous and work hard so I too can succeed like the comedian and buy a home in Karen. For the sake of peace, I deleted the comment.

They came to realise I was right a few months later when it was discovered that the house did not belong to the comedian. Interestingly, when cornered, the comedian admitted that the house was not his. I wondered where those who were hurling oral stones at me disappeared to.

Young people must know that life on Facebook is different from reality. Celebrities and other social influencers will convince you that they live a flashy life but on the ground things might be different. Social media is deceptive. Be careful who you engage.

As a society, we must carefully break away from the hold of social media. Young people must be advised that social media is awash with unrepentant falsifiers. The space is dotted with sociopaths who don’t feel empathy for other human beings. Some of us were born in the ghetto but the ghetto was not born in us. Your destiny is hidden in your own hands. Just put your hands on deck; it is doable. Be careful

Celebrities should learn to save and avoid carrying a begging bowl when things go wrong, especially during sickness. Those living fake lives should know how expensive it is to protect a lie. Let them use their time well when at the peak of their careers to avoid the humiliation that comes with spreading help-seeking fliers. If you get millions and waste them on alcohol and women, don’t come to us when you are unable to pay a hospital bill.

The writer sells bananas in the streets of Kisii town. [email protected]