President William Ruto has confirmed that talks to bring an African version of the Grammy Awards to Nairobi are still ongoing.
Speaking at the 97th Kenya Music Festival State Concert in Nyeri, he shared fresh updates that quickly sparked debate among Kenyans on social media.
Ruto announced that he will travel to the United States next month to meet with the Recording Academy, the organizers of the Grammys, to accelerate discussions on building world-class recording studios in Kenya.
“Next month in the United States, I will meet with the Recording Academy organizers of the Grammy Awards to fast-track plans for establishing world-class studios here in Kenya, to set in motion the journey towards eventually hosting an African edition of the Grammy Awards in Nairobi,” President Ruto said.
This, he added, would be the first step toward positioning Nairobi to host the prestigious awards.
Acknowledging public skepticism, Ruto maintained that his administration would deliver tangible results, revealing that the Grammy team has already shown interest in anchoring their presence at the new Talanta Stadium in Nairobi.
“As usual there are those who doubt, the cynics who question everything we do, but as we have always done, we will answer them with tangible outcomes that benefit Kenyans. The Grammy team has already expressed interest in anchoring their presence within our new Talanta Stadium in Nairobi,” he added.
The President further directed the Ministry of Youth and Creative Economy to expedite all steps necessary to ensure the stadium meets international standards.
“I am directing the Ministry of Youth and Creative Economy to expedite all outstanding steps to deliver a truly state-of-the-art creative experience for our artists, producers and innovators right here at home,” Ruto said.
If successful, Nairobi would become the first city in Africa to host a Grammy event.
The initial proposal was revealed last year, when Ruto disclosed that his administration had already paid Ksh 500 million to secure the bid.
The announcement has since drawn mixed reactions online.
One Instagram user wrote: “Cheza ki wewe prezzo, bora sisi tunataka vitu poa.”
Another was skeptical, commenting: “Ii ni chocha as usual.”