By Prudence Minayo
Kenyans comedians have taken to social media and YouTube platforms to entertain Kenyans with their videos and in the process making money out of their craft.
Below are some of the comedians who make a pretty sum out of their YouTube videos and this can be attested by the number of subscribers they have and total watch time of their content. YouTube pays through google ads that appear either at the start of video, or intermittently when the video is playing.
Some of these videos are also sponsored by companies.
Daniel Ndambuki-Churchill
Daniel Ndambuki established a name for himself as the father of stand up comedy. Anyone who wanted to make it in comedy previously, would try out for his show, Churchill Show. His YouTube channel by the same name has more than a million subscribers and videos of hundreds of comedians who have previously performed on the show. Today, his channel focuses on hosting various popular personalities who share their journey in life with a view to inspire others.
The channel boasts 1.82 million subscribers with over 4,000 videos.
Timothy Kimani-Njugush
When it comes to taking advantage of the YouTube space in Kenya, Timothy was among the pioneers to take that route and it has paid off in a big way. He first came into the limelight after appearing as Njugush in the local TV sitcom Real Househelps of Kawangware. After losing his job, he had nothing to do and life became unbearable. He then came up with the idea of shooting his videos with the help of his wife and sharing the content on social media and YouTube.
His channel’s success inspired so many others to share their work through YouTube.
He has 530k subscribers and over 600 videos.
Erastus Ayieko Otieno-Flaqo Raz
Flaqo Raz’s ability to take on different characters has endeared him to many Kenyans. He can act out different roles with one of the most popular and loved being that of Mama Otis. In the character, he portrays how many typical village mothers behave or used to behave.
He had been doing videos for quite sometime without earning anything. He’d see fellow comedians getting brand deals and wonder when his time would come. He did not give up and in 2020, his content blew up and brands were now knocking on his door.
Also Read: Flaqo Raz Biography, Real Name, Education, Before Fame, Career and Challenges
Henry Desagu-Ithagu Kibicho
Henry Desagu began making waves back in 2018 but started his channel in 2016. He took advantage of the mafisi slogan back then and made videos revolving around it. These videos were widely loved and he soon grew an audience. While his parents wanted him to pursue what was then termed as respectable careers like law, he chose comedy instead. Today, he earns enough to sustain himself through his trade.
Desagu has over 650k subscribers and has posted over 370 videos.
TT Comedian (Terence)
TT Comedian is a young 5-year-old whose videos attract millions of viewers. His way with words is epic and manages to leave his audience in stitches. At a young age, his videos are definitely among the most watched in the country. Some of his videos are also a clear depiction of society as they touch on things, like corruption and family relations.
Also Read: TT Comedian Profile, Age, Education, Comedy and Family
Kennedy Odhiambo-Crazy Kennar
The award winning Kennar has christened himself as ‘The Content Cartel’ and rightly so. Crazy Kennar vines are topical and extremely hilarious. He has over 418k subscribers and a total of over 93 million views since he posted his first video in 2017.
Also Read: Crazy Kennar Biography, Education, Career, Girlfriend And Contacts
Jasper Muthomi-Mc Jessy
Growing up, he loved listening to people like Jeff Mwangemi, John Karani and Tim Nderitu on KBC. Later on, he would attend a series of auditions on Churchill Show with no success. His luck changed when he met Churchill himself in the washroom and that was the beginning of his journey in the show.
Following the pandemic, he opened his own channel and began not only sharing comic videos but also hosting a number of guests. Today, he has hosted a number of celebrities including The WaJesus family, Njugush and his wife, the Bahatis, Cynthia Nyamai, Abel Mutua Kate Actress among others.
His channel Jessy Junction has over 150k subscribers.
Vanessa Akinyi-Cartoon Actress
Born in Pumwani and raised in Kayole, Nairobi, Cartoon shot to fame in 2020. Her video of a boyfriend who spoke ‘too much English’ with her yet she was a girl from the ghetto made her even more famous. Suddenly, words from her video like unaniaffect and inanisuffocate became street slogans. Today, people still love her work and she has even posted a movie on her channel named lost.
Cartoon has about 265k subscribers.
Naomi Kuria
Naomi Kuria is a talented content creator and actress who has starred in both Sinema za DJ Shiti and on Auntie Jemimah’s videos. She does well thought out videos catapulted her in the league of the best comedians in the country. She first started working with DJ Shiti then Auntie Jemimah and now she is building her channel with amazing videos. In her quest for success, she has been told she was not good enough. This did not deter her and she has managed to build a self sustaining brand.
She has over 61k subscribers.
Wangari Nguri-Auntie Jemimah
She is a radio presenter, a wedding MC, a content creator and a comedian. Even though her videos are in Kikuyu, they attract even non-Kikuyu viewers. One can be able to follow along with the act and still find her content funny.
She has about 181k Subscribers.
Also Read: Auntie Jemimah Biography, Age, Pregnancy, Education, Family, Career and Cyber Bullying
Diana Daisy Gau
Diana loved cracking jokes from an early on age. This often got her into trouble during her high school days. After high school, she watched a live performance of Churchill Show and fell in love with the acts. She decided it was what she wanted to do and even attended several auditions. She too became prominent in 2020 after starring in various videos by Cartoon Actress. She does an amazing job currently in her channel and has partnered with the likes of Naomi Kuria and Steve Mogul to create content.
Diana has over 70k subscribers.
Also Read: Diana Daisy Biography, Family, Profession, Comedy & Side Hustle
Jackie Vicke
Jackie Vicke was known for her role in the program Papa Shirandula. She portrayed a naïve house girl with a thick Luhya accent. Her comic character left many thinking that was how she behaved in real life. Today, she uses her YouTube platform to continue to entertain fans with funny videos.
Her channel boasts over 30k subscribers.
Tom Daktari (Andrew Wambua Mboya)
Tom Daktari is a film student at Kenya Institute of Mass Communication. He is 22 years old and has been sharing very funny videos on his channel. He became known after participating in Top Comic competition before joining Churchill show. He currently has more than 260k subscribers.
Sammy Kioko
Since high school, he loved comedy and followed this dream even while at university. He first auditioned for Churchill in 2015 but was unsuccessful. Rather than give up, he joined an acting group and once when an acting gig was canceled, he got the opportunity to audition for Top Comic Competition. Kioko got in and went on to win the whole competition
After a few performances on Churchill, he went on to establish his YouTube channel which currently boasts about 342k subscribers.
Vinnie Baite
Vincent Baite began making videos a while ago. All he got were a handful of views until he started doing a segment dubbed Story za Jaba. His stories are often cryptic and getting the meaning behind them is a difficult task. Hence, his fans have to pay close attention to his play of words. His video trended on Tik Tok a while ago making him the talk of town.
Vinnie Baite’s channel has 103k subscribers.
Arap Uria
A teacher by profession, Arap Uria’s mimicking videos have made him famous beyond the borders of Kenya. He found a niche that works for him and has made several videos mimicking deputy president William Ruto, ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Peter Drury among others. He comes from Eldoret and is a lover of football.
The channel has over 280k subscribers.
Terrence Creative (Lawrence Macharia)
Lawrence Macharia is one of the most watched comedians in the country. Having started his career as a creative at Churchill Show, he has grown into a brand to reckon with. His videos have had an amazing reception with the latest being a reflection of how Kenyans are conned. His videos on how Kenyans are conned have attracted millions of views and even been talked about on mainstream media.
His channel has over 200k subscribers.
Also Read: Terence Creative Biography, Background, Career, Marriage, Children and Struggles
DJ Shiti (Steven Owuor Dede)
DJ Shiti became a household name after starring in the drama Real Household of Kawangware. People fell in love with him and he grew his brand under the name DJ Shiti. Today, his YouTube channel has millions of views and he has partnered with a number of comedians including Naomi Kuria and Omosh.
He has about 244k subscribers.
Mamito (Eunice Wanjiru)
Eunice Wanjiru made her debut in the comedy world on Churchill Show. She portrayed great wit and her act was widely loved. Currently, she shares a number of skits on her YouTube channel and has garnered hundreds of thousands in views.
Her YouTube channel has 189k subscribers.
Eddie Butita
Butita’s career was launched at Churchill Show. He not only performed but he also wrote jokes for other comedians. He also uses his YouTube channel to share amazing skits. His skits are not just funny, but intriguing, and awe inspiring. He has also been credited for co-writing Timothy Kimani’s script for both TTNT 1 and 2. His work also got him the chance to work on a Netflix comedy special. He was tasked with translating a comedy script from English to Swahili without losing the literal meaning.
He has over 49k subscribers.
Mulamwah (David Oyando)
A nurse by profession, he began doing skits while in the university’s Christian Union. Growing up, he admired the likes of Mzee Ojwang’, Kajairo and Mdomo Baggy. He then had the dream to perform on Churchill Show but after several failed auditions, he started doing his own skits and sharing them via WhatsApp.
He then began sharing them on his YouTube channel and grew his audience. At one point, he burnt his signature shirt and nearly quit comedy due to cyber bullying. His channel has 123k subscribers.
