President William Ruto has praised comedians Timothy Kimani alias Njugush and Eddie Butita for using their creativity to make money.
Speaking during the Kenya National Drama Festival State Concert at State House, Nairobi on Friday, the Head of State said the two comedians earn more money than he does.
“These are our great artists who today are monetizing their content. Pongezi sana. Those two young men you see there, they are making more money than my salary,” Ruto said.
He added, “Msiwaone hivi ati wamevaa sijui T-shirt namna gani…they are serious entrepreneurs. Congratulations for being the example to many of our young people and knowing that the creative space, the YouTube space is available for jobs for our young people.”
The President reaffirmed his commitment to reviving the country’s creative industries. He stated that in the future, creatives should be aware that his government views them as an important economic cog.
Ruto also stated that the creative industry is an important driver of the struggle against societal vices such as drug usage.
“I think it is important to know what the society can be if we marshal all our resources that the young people can be,” Ruto said.
Njugush, on his part, lauded President Ruto for being intentional on matters art and championing creatives.
“We’ve come to this place so many times for drama festivals, but this is the first time there’s a stage – a downstage and an upstage,” said Njugush.
“I remember coming here when the late former President Mwai Kibaki was still in power. We came to perform for him and we performed to the point of throwing ourselves on the grass.”
Also Read: Why Comedian Njugush no longer wears his wedding ring
