Kenyans online follow particular public figures who influence them positively, offer valuable life advice, insightful opinion on current issue, a clear vision of where the country is headed to in terms of leadership and development as well as entertainment.
Here are the Top 10 Most Influential Male Public Figures on Kenyan social media based on the above metric;
1. President Uhuru Kenyatta
President Uhuru Kenyatta is undoubtedly the most followed male public personality on Kenyan social media. His presence is much appreciated across the East African region, commanding admiration from areas as far as Morocco. I usually see comments like, “I am not Kenyan, but I highly admire President Uhuru Kenyatta for the work he is doing.” He is the first African President to hold a homecoming banquet for U.S. President Barack Obama. He is known for his outgoing nature; if he is not chilling with young primary school students, he is out of the office running state projects or attending international conventions aimed at making Kenya a greater nation. He currently has a Twitter following of 1.01M and 1.7M Facebook ‘likes’.
2. Larry Madowo
His show #TheTrend which airs on Friday has propelled him to greater heights over the years. He is the most influential journalist on Kenyan social media. The Trend is a leading lifestyle show focusing on news, current affairs, music and technology. Larry keeps his fans updated whenever he meets top international celebrities; from CNN’s Richard Quest to Lupita Nyong’o. His Facebook page has 491K “likes,” his Twitter 571K followers and the official The Trend With Larry Madowo page has 64K ‘likes’. His Instagram has over 55K followers. He says that “I’ve got sources from State House to the whorehouse.”
3. Churchill
Churchill’s show is one of the most watched in Kenya. His Facebook page has a following of 1.4M while his Twitter page has 114K followers. His show on NTV has given rise to some of the top Kenyan comedians; the likes of Eric Omondi, Chipukeezy, Obina, Owago, Sleepy David, Mwalimu Rachael and others. His Facebook page has some of the most viral posts on Kenyan social media. He keeps his audience entertained with jokes, relatable memes as well as proceedings of national occasions.
4. Jeff Koinange
The KTN News Anchor is one of the most popular Kenyan TV personalities of all time. He has a considerably huge Twitter following compared to his Facebook. With 608K Twitter followers and 23K Facebook ‘likes’ and a national show – Jeff Koinange Live – he is one of the most influential male personalities on Kenyan social media. His social media mostly has updates on his show guests and current affairs.
5. Maina Kageni
Classic 105’s Maina Kageni is one of the most influential radio show hosts in Kenya. His show alongside Mwalimu King’ang’i is listened to all over Nairobi and major towns in Kenya. He tackles relationship issues in an appealing manner such that he gets the conversation going every single morning. He has been known to be an early bird – waking up by 4.00 am daily – and for his love for high-end cars. His Facebook has 449K ‘likes’ and his Twitter has 272K followers. His fast-growing Instagram has 19.8K followers.
6. Bahati
The two-time Grove Award winner was recently appointed as the Safaricom Facebook Page ambassador. This is due to his influence on Kenyan social media. The “Lover” singer has an Instagram following of 81K followers, his Facebook page 156K ‘likes’ and 22.5K Twitter followers. At the time of this publication, he was a nominee in the 2015 African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA).
7. Mbusii
Radio Jambo’s Mbusii is one of the most listened to radio hosts in Kenya. The former Ghetto radio presenter is known for his undying love for reggae music and the sheng dialect. His show alongside Lion is well appreciated in Kenya. The duo have a collective following of 85K Facebook ‘likes.’ Mbusii’s page has 15K followers. If you ask any Kenyan if they know about Mbusii, they’ll definitely tell you yes. The Radio Jambo platform he uses to reach out to the youth has 32K ‘likes’ on Facebook.
8. Robert Alai Onyango
Being one of the most controversial political bloggers in Kenya, his influence is far and wide on social media. He has highly clickable, shareable Facebook and Twitter posts which are controversial and engaging. He blasts the government left right and centre. Alai's Facebook account has 73K followers, his FB page has 83k ‘likes’, and 247K Twitter followers.
9. X-tian Dela
As funny as his name may seem, he is one of the top influential people on Kenyan social media. X-tian Dela is a blogger, digital strategist and event host. He is a prolific Kenyan On Twitter (KOT). He recently won the Best Corporate Social Media Personality of the Year at the inaugural Jumia Kenya Glamour Awards. He has a Twitter following of 638K people, a verified Facebook page with 113K ‘likes’ and 68.7K followers on Instagram. He is also an African Bloggers Award winner.
10. Cyprian Nyakundi
He is one of the most controversial Kenyan bloggers. He is big on exposes and hard-hitting opinion pieces. Cyprian has 612K Twitter followers and a rapidly growing website. His Instagram has 28.2K followers.