Kenyans were left in confusion after outgoing Cabinet Secretary for Youth, Creative Economy, and Sports, Kipchumba Murkomen, issued a statement that appeared to contradict President William Ruto regarding Kenya’s financial commitment to hosting the Grammy Awards Africa Academy Centre.
Murkomen, through a statement shared on his social media accounts on Thursday, indicated that Kenya had paid $2.5 million for its bid to host the Academy. This is approximately Ksh.323,225,000 according to current exchange rate.
In the statement, Murkomen stated that his ministry had signed an agreement with Grammy Global Ventures, the international arm of the Recording Academy, on September 25, 2023. He claimed making the fourth and final installment of the agreed fee this month, and claimed the country was in a strong position to host the Academy.
Murkomen’s figure, however, contradicted the one quoted by President Ruto just over a week earlier. Speaking during a town hall meeting in Nairobi on December 9, the Head of State said that Kenya had already paid Ksh.500 million for the African Grammys hub.
The conflicting accounts from the President and the incoming Interior CS left many Kenyans on social media confused. Many questioned the discrepancies, with some expressing doubt about who between the president and Murkomen was providing accurate information.
Kenyans on popular social media platform X raised concerns, some questioning whether the president’s earlier statement about a Ksh.500 million payment was accurate, especially since Murkomen claimed a significantly lower amount of Ksh.323 million had been paid.
Others noted that the Recording Academy had denied receiving money from foreign governments, reiterating that the event would still be held in California.
Other netizens called for clarity, urging the relevant authorities to address the conflicting figures and provide accurate updates. A few suggested that the matter required urgent attention to clear the confusion surrounding Kenya’s financial dealings with the Grammy Global Ventures.
By Newshub