The grandmother of the late TikToker Brian Chira, Esther Njeri, has strongly refuted rumours that she still possesses any money from the over Ksh8 million raised by TikTokers and fans to support her and honour the late content creator’s wishes.
Brian Chira, who tragically died in a hit-and-run accident in March 2024, rose to prominence for his engaging videos and candid discussions about personal struggles, including his battles with HIV, depression, and alcoholism.
His sudden death sent shockwaves across Kenya’s digital community, leading to an unprecedented outpouring of support from fans and fellow content creators who rallied to raise funds to assist his grandmother, who had been caring for him and other orphaned family members.
The money was intended to provide the grandmother with financial stability and to fulfil Brian’s desire to give her a decent life after years of hardship.
However, recent online chatter questioned whether she had mismanaged or kept any of the funds, prompting her to speak publicly for the first time.
Speaking in a TikTok live on Monday, July 14, 2025, she confirmed that she had used all the money and no funds remained.
“It is true, I did not block anyone. It is also true that I used all the money, and it got finished.”
She revealed that she used the money to purchase a piece of land, which provided her with a secure foundation for the future.
She added that the remaining funds were spent on building a good, smart house that improved her living conditions significantly.
The grandmother also shared that just recently, she acquired ring lights to enable her to create content, showing her intention to engage actively with the digital community.
“I bought a piece of land with that money, and the rest was used to build a good house. The money bought me a piece of land and built me a smart house. Just the other day, I also bought ring lights to create content — and here they are,” she said.
Work
The clarification has come just months after the grandmother clapped back at Kenyans speculating about whether she earns her keep, following her recent plea for assistance in building a new house.
Taking to her TikTok page on Thursday, February 27, 2025, the granny hit back at the backlash, making it clear that she is constantly occupied with farming and that, unlike what people assume, her days are always packed with agricultural work.
“Hi, guys. Today, Grandma has been at home, working on her small piece of land. Some people usually ask whether Grandma really works. Yes, Grandma farms,” she said.
The grandmother, who took over her late grandson’s online fame after his passing, then went ahead to give TikTokers a glimpse of a section of her farm where she had planted tomatoes and confidently stated that her harvests are always so bountiful that she never has to step into the market to buy groceries.
She showcased the sprawling piece of land and proudly displayed her other thriving crops, including bell peppers, butternuts, and sukuma wiki, and even went a step further to pluck some fresh produce live on camera to silence her doubters.
She also pointed out an area where she had planted thorn melons, emphasising how well they were flourishing and doubling down on her stance that it was unfair for people to spread claims that she sits idly doing nothing.
“And these ones you see are organic; no fertiliser was used. These are the tomatoes I am picking. These are the ones. And today Chira did not go to school. He is on midterm break. Some people usually ask whether Grandma really works. These are also green peppers, and I have eaten a lot of them. These are what grandma farms. Even pumpkins—these are the ones grandma farms. Look at this pumpkin. All of this is what Grandma has cultivated here,” she asserted.
By K24 Digital