List of Richest Musicians in Kenya

Since Kenyan musicians have never declared their net-worth, the only prudent way to find out is going through the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) archives. As such, MCSK recently came up with a list of the top 10 wealthiest musicians in Kenya.

The highest paid Kenyan artists by MCSK and beneficiaries of endorsements, especially by the corporate, make this list. Other factors such as: number of live performances, CDs and merchandise sales and other related careers are also considered.

MCSK also pays registered artists royalties for music played by the media.

So here we go;

Jaguar

Jaguar has been in the Kenyan entertainment industry since its infancy and is one of the finest hit makers in the region. The Kigeugeu singer is also an entrepreneur with a portfolio that consists of a taxi firm, security company, auto garage and real estate.

 Jaguar was recently awarded by MCSK where he was amongst the artists who bagged millions at the event. He made headlines when he allegedly bought a plane - Air Jaguar - that appeared in his new video Kipepeo. He also owns several posh car brands like Range Rover Sport, Bentley, Mercedes Benz E240 and Lexus GL 450. Most recently, he was paid close to KSh1M after a single concert in Burundi.

Nonini

He’s the Breakfast show presenter at One FM, Nairobi. Nonini is also a co-pioneer of Genge, which is a sub-genre of Africanised Hip Hop. He’s widely known as The Godfather of Genge. The artist has three studio albums that receive massive airplay on local media making him the highest paid artist by MCSK in 2012. When he launched the Colour kwa Face Foundation to fight for the rights of albinos just recently, the renowned Selif Keita endorsed him. Other corporate groups backing the project include: Safaricom and Standard Group.

 Wyre

His new song Nakupenda Pia featuring Alaine is one of the biggest hits of 2013. Wyre’s style is very unique as he fuses reggae and R&B to create massive hits consistently. 

He has released two albums and features in numerous songs by other established artists. He usually includes choreographed dances while performing his music on stage or in music videos. Most of his wealth comes from live performances, album sales and royalties. Wyre is also a judge at the popular dance show Sakata aired on Citizen TV and owns Love Child Records.

Nameless

Born David Mathenge, Nameless burst into the limelight in 1999 during Capital FM’s star search. He has worked with Tedd Josiah of the now defunct Blue Zebra before signing with Ogopa DJs. Some of the hits that he’s released during his career include: 

Megarider, Boomba Train, Sinzia, Juju and Salary. According to the cheque he received from MCSK, he’s one of the most played Kenyan artists. He’s won many awards such as Kisima Music Awards (2004), Pearl of Africa Music Awards (2006), Channel O Music Video Awards (2007) and MTV Africa Music Awards (2009).

Habida

The talented singer is also a model and has worked with Kiko Romeo in her early years. She studied drama at Lewisham College, London and musical theatre at Kennesaw State University, Atlanta. On returning home, Habida worked with renowned producer, Robert ‘RKay’ Kamanzi and managed to flood airwaves with the single Sunshine alongside Nameless. 

Currently, her latest single Lights Up is ruling the airwaves. She has won several awards like the Best Video Award at the East African CHAT Awards, 2010. Apart from royalty payments, she still earns a lot from her modelling career.