Endorsement of Kenyan celebrities by established brands has gained immense traction in the past few years. The question is who are the top beneficiaries of the rewarding endorsement deals in Kenya? Here the top Kenyan celebrities who have landed lucrative endorsement deals in recent years.
1. Wyre
Topping this list is internationally renowned Kenyan reggae artiste Kevin Waire, also known as Wyre or Wyre the Lovechild. Ever since Wyre was named the SportPesa brand ambassador in Kenya, he has been minting millions of shillings from the sports betting company since its launch in 2014.
The initial deal with SportPesa was rumored to be in the tune of tens of millions Kenyan shillings with Wyre acting as the face of one of the premier profit-making companies in East Africa and SportPesa gaining from his popularity among the young Kenyan audience.
2. King Kaka
A Recent endorsement by Rémy Martin as a brand ambassador has put rapper Kevin Ombima, better known as King Kaka among the Kenyan celebrities enjoying the lucrative fruits of corporate endorsement in the region.
King Kaka is the first from East Africa to be named the face of a worldwide campaign by Premium cognac brand Rémy Martin titled, “One Life. Live Them, Premium Meets Premium” This endorsement deal was largely handed to King Kaka because of his versatility as a rapper, poet and humanitarian. He is alleged to have earned millions of shillings from the endorsement arrangement.
3. Janet Mbugua
Nothing brings out the gainful side of being a celebrity in Kenya as the brand endorsement of Janet Mbugua by Lifebuoy soap. Janet Mbugua earned this well-paying deal after her effort working with NGOs to help girls in marginalized areas was noted by Unilever Company.
The former news anchor at Citizen TV is said to be minting millions of shillings as the face of Lifebuoy brand in Kenya.
4. Jeff Koinange
There was substantial social media uproar when Jeff Koinange was named the face of the new-look Tusker Malt, a premium beer from Kenya Breweries Limited. Jeff is rumored to have earned big from the endorsement deal that took a lot of his fans by surprise.
The multi-million campaign dubbed ‘The Taste of Legends’ saw Jeff feature as a celebrity bartender and was a huge success as most of his admirers got to interact with him in various bars.
5. MacDonald Mariga
When sports betting company Betin went shopping for a brand ambassador in order to cement their place in the Kenyan market, MacDonald Mariga availed himself and is now one of the top-earning celebrities in the country. The football superstar agreed to sign a multi million deal with Betin Kenya to become the face of the company in the Kenyan Market.
Although he shares this responsibility with celebrity Joey Muthengi, Mariga is still believed to earn millions of shillings every month in his role as the face of Betin Kenya.
6. Eric Omondi
Comedian Eric Omondi has landed several endorsement deals with top-performing brands in Kenya including Safaricom, Silverstone air and Uber Taxi. His endorsement as the brand ambassador of William Lawson’s wines is worth mentioning as it is alleged that the comedian minted a sizeable chunk of cash from the deal. Eric Omondi is also a branding partner of Bonfire Adventures, a tour company.
7. Size 8 and daughter
Musician Size 8 and her daughter Ladasha Belle are well-known for their role as the brand ambassadors of Softcare diaper company. The musician who is married to celebrity disc jockey, DJ Mo has been earning a lot from the adverts featuring her and the beautiful daughter approving Softcare diapers for children.
The two are believed to earn millions of shillings every year from this brand endorsement deal.
8. DJ Shiti
Comedian DJ Shiti’s elevation to StarTimes’ brand ambassador has earned him a great reputation among Kenyans and huge financial success. DJ Shiti, who admits to having come from humble background sees the endorsement by StarTimes in Kenya as a major step towards ultimate financial independence.
9. DJ Mo
DJ Mo or going by his real names, Samuel Muraya was chosen as the brand ambassador of Broadways bread. The Thika-based company had to part away with a substantial amount of money in order to get DJ Mo’s images on billboards advertising Broadways bread. The deal is said to have worked to the advantage of both sides as DJ Mo gained financially, the bread company has reported a significant upsurge in sales.
10. Celina
Catherine Kamau, better known as Celina from her TV role in local Series’ Mother In-law was named the new brand ambassador for Herpic. She took the role from legendary musician Suzanna Owiyo and is said to be among the best-earning endorsement deal celebrities. With such a reputation, Celina is surely taking home millions of shillings every month from her role as the face of Herpic.
11. Wahu
Kenyan singer and songwriter Wahu Kagwi has for long been the face of Rexona in the country. She is believed to earn tens of millions from the brand endorsement deal that saw her appear on TV adverts promoting Rexona soap.
12. Jalang’o
Radio host and comedian Felix Odiwuor AKA Jalang’o is one of the latest celebrities to be endorsed by corporate brands. His role as a brand ambassador for tissue brand, Hanan has seen him mint millions of shillings from the product manufacturers in what has become a successful commercial advertisement campaign only synonymous to Suzanna Owiyo’s Herpic ads.
Jalang’o, therefore, is one of the top Kenyan celebrities who have landed life-changing lucrative endorsement deals in the past few years.
13. Sauti Sol
Regarded as one of the best all-boys music band in Africa, Sauti Sol has been used as the face of different brands in Kenya over the past years. Their lucrative deal as brand ambassador for Chrome Vodka is worth mentioning as it is believed to have earned the band millions of shillings from adverts.
14. Victor Wanyama
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and longtime Kenyan captain was named the brand ambassador for Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom promotion tournament. In this role as the face of the tournament, Wanyama will mint millions of shillings to add on to his mammoth salary as so far, the only Kenyan player in the English Premier League.
15. Chef Ali Mandhry
Lastly, in this list of Kenyan celebrities who have landed lucrative endorsement deals is Chef Ali Mandhry who was named the brand ambassador for Chevrolet East Africa. Regarded as one of the best professional chefs in the region, Ali does not frequently appear on billboards or mainstream TV adverts but uses his show and social media to put product placements on Chevrolet.
Chef Ali is often seen showcasing Chevrolet car features on his TV show which in return earns him millions of shillings from the multinational company.
16. Octopizzo
Octopizzo has come a long way to become a self made man not only in the music industry but also in the business world and he has learned to be the best in everything he does. Currently having a vast following over one million followers on Instagram, Octopizzo is not only an established artiste but he is also an established businessman and he is the face and brand ambassador of Smirnoff Kenya since last year and he has been representing the brand fully to the best of his ability turning his fans into Smirnoff fans.
17. Fena Gitu
Just like her fellow rap artiste, Fena Gitu is also the face and brand ambassador of Smirnoff Kenya together with Octopizzo. Apart from being the brand ambassador of Smirnoff Kenya, Fena Gitu is also the brand ambassador of Marini Natural and Denri Africa which also means she’s securing that bag like most established international and regional rappers do.
