It was an incredible year for Kenyan music lovers but not without a dose of worst concerts in Kenya 2024. Poor fan and artist treatment, poor sound quality and poor planning by organisers are some of the challenges that marred these concerts. In others, disappointment was all too visible after main artists performed for six minutes despite keeping fans waiting for hours.
Most of the blame was apportioned to respective organisers for failing in the most important aspects of planning. A poorly planned event always has a trickledown effect on the entire concert. While such moments are common in the entertainment industry, Kenya erred a big one this year.
Table of Contents
Which are the Worst Concerts in Kenya 2024?
These six events make up the worst concerts in Kenya 2024.
Walker Town Festival
Lauryn Hill lovers had a special date on September 29. The legendary American artist was the main act at the Walker Town Festival in Nairobi but anticipated delight turned to disappointment of the year. The delight came from too much hope that Hill would finally perform in Kenya after a series of mishaps with planned concerts in the past. Shock unto her fans. The two-day Walker Town Festival was as shambolic as you can think of.
Walker Town Festival in Nairobi sponsored by EABL was a total flop. American artist Lauryn Hill was a the guest artist. Photo/Brado KE/Instagram
Hill’s performance was delayed past midnight while heavy rains pounded the city. Then, Johnie Walker’s brand ambassador Nyashinski couldn’t perform either. His performance was cancelled making it all worse. East African Breweries Limited (EABL), the main sponsors of the event, apologized to fans and promised a full refund on tickets.
Furaha City Festival
Furaha City Festival deserves a place as one of the worst concerts in Kenya 2024. East Africa’s Bongo sensation Diamond Platnumz actively played in the flopping of the festival. Despite being the main artist., the Jeje hitmaker didn’t perform at the event . Squabbles ensued among Kenyan artists who were performing at the event led by the gifted Willy Pozee.4
Bongo Flava artist Diamond Platnumz at the Furaha City Festival in Nairobi. He did not perform despite being the main artist at the fest. Photo/The Citizen Tanzania
Things heated up online as Diamond’s fans from Kenya castigated him for failing to perform. They termed it the height of disrespect and he couldn’t handle the heat any more. He apologized but clarified that he wouldn’t refund Ksh20 million (USD 154,738) paid up as his performance fee.
Good Vibes Festival
What a terrible one this one was. Good Vibes Festival featured Jamaican reggae sensation Etana (Shauna Mckenzie alias Etana). However, the festival ended up booking a place in the worst concerts in Kenya 2024 due to its cancellation. She read mischief in the event planning blaming the organisers for ‘intentionally’ sabotaging her show slated for December 7. This was the same day Furaha City Festival was slated to happen. Etana later performed at exclusive clubs in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nanyuki, Meru and Eldoret.
Reggae Summerfest & Peace Concert
Iconic reggae artist Glen Washington arrived in Nairobi sometime in October ready for Reggae Summerfest & Peace Concert in Nakuru. Â Surprisingly, poor planning led to an incredibly low turnout for an internationally recognized artist like Glen. Summerfest Nairobi and Nakuru editions on October 19 and October 20 respectively earned their place in the worst concerts in Kenya 2024.
For The Love Of Amapiano
South African Amapiano DJ Uncle Waffles couldn’t wrap her mind around a chaotic Amapiano concert at A.S.K Dome, Nairobi. Her goddess DJ charm on the decks never worked in Kenya, not in 2024 at least.  Sound was pathetic, so was crowd management. The event organisers underestimated the turnout only for the numbers to soar and everything headed south from here.
South African Amapiano DJ Uncle Waffles at a past event. Photo/TFG Media
Uncle Waffles in a statement on her Insta stories lamented that she deserved a better event together with her fans. She expressed frustration that her team was manhandled so much that she had to stop playing.
Mzuqa Fest
If you thought amapiano lovers had it the most, you’re in for a rude shock. Renowned Rhumba and Lingala artist Koffi Olomide couldn’t end the year without putting Mzuqa Fest in Kisumu City on the bad books of the worst concerts in Kenya 2024. Elated fans expected an electrifying performance from the Papa Mobimba singer but he had a shocking surprise for them.
He had no live band and never did a live performance. Olomide did some pre-recorded songs accompanied by a vague dance lasting six minutes only. The Paris-based artist then left the stage calling it a night. Dejected fans at Kisumu’s Jomo Kenyatta Stadium called him out on X and it wasn’t a rosy affair.
Raha Fest
Raha Fest on New Year’s Eve was the most chaotic music carnivore in Kenya. Celebrated Jamaican artist Shenseea famous for her Hit and Run song was the guest artist. She barely performed for 10 minutes when hell broke loose at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC). She was quickly whisked away from the stage as irate fans engaged riot police in a New Year’s Eve battle.
Event organisers played a big role in the worst concerts in Kenya 2024. They failed terribly in crowd management, sound delivery and ensuring that fans got what they bargained for from guest artists. Hopefully, 2024 gave them hard lessons to learn from, as 2025 awaits.
