Comedian YY urges Kenyan artistes to unite for one powerful tribute song honoring the late Raila Odinga (photo courtesy)
Kenyan comedian YY, has called on local artistes to put aside their differences and unite to create one powerful tribute song in honour of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
In an emotional message shared on Instagram, the comedian urged creatives across the industry to collaborate for a greater cause that transcends personal fame or rivalry.
“There is a level of unity that you guys need to attain — a small amount of unity that can really push the industry forward,” YY said. “I agree we don’t all have to rock the same boat, but when you’re coming together for a cause, it becomes bigger than you.”
Using a relatable example, he explained how unity should work even among rivals:
“You can’t tell me that if we’re contributing for kids to go to India for treatment, you’ll refuse to contribute just because your enemy already has. It’s not peer-to-peer — it’s me to the cause, you to the cause!”
YY lamented the lack of support among Kenyan musicians, saying it’s common to see content creators, influencers, and comedians attending concerts, but rarely fellow musicians who are not performing.
“Take a Sauti Sol concert, for instance,” he said. “You’ll see TikTokers, Instagrammers, influencers but hardly any other musicians in the audience. This lack of support is a real problem.”
The comedian emphasized that Raila Odinga’s global stature deserves a world-class tribute song, urging artistes to pool their creativity to deliver something Kenyans can be proud of.
“What if artistes each contributed 20 per cent of their creativity to create a song done by many artistes as a tribute to ‘Baba’? It would be amazing,” he proposed.
YY went on to challenge Kenyan artistes to move beyond chasing clout and online views, and instead focus on crafting a timeless musical piece that celebrates Raila’s enduring legacy.
“The problem is you all want to shine individually and end up not shining at all,” he said. “Take your time — two weeks, a month — and give us quality. Fifteen or twenty artistes could each contribute 30 seconds of their best work to create a brilliant 10-minute track.”
His passionate call sparked mixed reactions online. Renowned dancer Aggie the Dance Queen joked, Simple Boy akiulizwa anasemaje?” while content creator Dem Wa FB quipped, “Shida si unity ya ngoma moja, shida ni itapostiwa kwa YouTube ya nani?”