Veteran Afrofussion singer Suzanna Owiyo has come out to complain that the Kisumu County government has not paid artistes since May 2022.
Owiyo lamented that artistes were contracted to perform at the 9th Africities Summit in the lakeside city without being paid upfront.
The singer expressed her displeasure at the payment delays in a video she shared on social media on January 23, 2023.
Owiyo claimed that officials at the Kisumu County government had been taking artistes in circles since May 2022 by deferring payment.
“Hi guys, I’m sharing this because I have a concern to raise. This is in regards to the Africities Summit that took place last year in Kisumu, sometime in May.
The artistes, including myself, have not been paid. I have tried my best to reach out to the guys in charge, those assigned to contract the artists, but my efforts have not been successful.
“The responses I keep getting are, ‘we will pay you, wait. You have to wait for another week, wait for next month’ so it’s been delayed after delays. So, I’m appealing to the county government of Kisumu and the national government in charge to do the honorable thing and just pay.
Just pay the artistes. I mean, we rendered our services and the best thing you can do is just to honor that. We are not asking for too much. So on behalf of my fellow artists, I’ve decided to speak out on this matter because I feel somebody somewhere must act,” Suzanna Owiyo lamented.
