‘I never thought this day would come’

Kenyan comedienne Mammito Eunice has taken a humorous jab at the government following President William Ruto’s announcement in December 2024 that Kenya had paid to host the 2025 Grammy Awards.

On Monday, February 3, 2025, Mammito shared a photoshopped image on her Instagram page, featuring herself and former Sports and Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, pretending to be at the Grammy Awards.

“Yesterday at the Grammy Awards 2025 !!! I am balancing my tears because honestly I never thought this day would come,” Mammito mocked.

Despite the Kenyan government’s announcement, the 2025 Grammy Awards were held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Ksh500 million for Grammys

In December 2024, President William Ruto announced that Kenya had officially submitted a bid to host the Grammy Awards, having already paid Ksh500 million towards the effort.

Ruto highlighted his administration’s dedication to boosting Kenya’s creative industry and positioning the country as a global entertainment hub.

This followed an earlier announcement in April 2024, where Ruto revealed that Kenya had been selected as one of four countries to participate in the Grammys through a partnership with Grammy Global Ventures. This collaboration, he noted, was designed to deepen Kenya’s involvement in the international creative scene.

He also highlighted key initiatives such as the Department of Creative Economy and Talanta Hela, both aimed at nurturing and commercializing local talent. Additionally, he mentioned plans for partnerships with Hollywood to give Kenya’s film industry greater access to global markets.

Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy at the time disclosed that the State Department had been instructed to process payments for Kenya’s bid to host the African Grammy Awards. He added that a Grammy representative, present at the town hall, was scheduled to meet with Ruto later in the week to discuss the initiative.

“There is a gentleman here from the Grammys, and we’ve already instructed the State Department to make payments for Kenya to host the African Grammys headquarters,” Itumbi stated.

President Ruto confirmed that the payment had been made, emphasizing his government’s commitment to the project.

“We have already paid the Ksh500 million. This is not something we are planning to do; it’s already done. I’m confident that the gentleman here from the Grammys can confirm that we’re on the right track to securing Kenya’s position in this exciting initiative,” Ruto affirmed.