Sakaja puts off 'Battle of Choirs' Easter show amid financing fears

Kibra Church of God Choir performs during the Battle of the Choirs Easter Festival 2nd Edition Finale at KICC, Nairobi on April 1, 2024. [File, Standard] The Nairobi City County will this year not host the Easter holidays choirs competition. The "Battle of the Choirs" event, which has had two editions in 2023 and 2024, has now been moved to December. "This year we will do the choirs festival later in the year for Christmas right after the Nairobi festivals," Governor Johnson Sakaja told The Standard on Thursday without giving reasons for the postponement. During the launch of the popular event, Sakaja said it would evoke the Easter holidays mood in the city. Preparations would start with auditions of the finest choirs ahead the Easter week under the guidance of adjudicators, leading to the grand finale involving the top three. The even has been popular with city residents, especially those who don't travel upcountry for the long weekend. The announcement comes at a time when the last two editions experienced financial challenges after the winners and judges accused the county administration of delaying payments after being handed over dummy cheques. "It is unfair that there will be no competition this year, but I feel that it is because of the delayed payments of judges and award to the winners among other complaints," observed a choir leader who participated in the past competitions. The winner went home with Sh2 million, while the first and the second runners-up won Sh1 million and Sh500,000. Durng its inception, the county had promised that the winners and the judges would be paid immediately, but it took almost a year for the 2024 participants to get their money. In January, music directors from the three churches that won last year wrote a joint letter to the Governor seeking an explanation for the delay. The complained that they were being taken in circles, warning this could taint the integrity of the competition and cast doubt on the willingness of the county to support community events. "We trust that your office will prioritise this matter and ensure that the funds are transferred promptly to the winning choirs as previously communicated," they wrote. And although the choirs were paid early this year, the judges are yet to be paid in full. "We have been disappointed following up the payments, we have been only paid half the amount of the money that were promised," said one of the judges. Last year, PCEA Kahawa Farmers Choir won, followed by St Peter's Clavers Church and Ngomongo Ministries SDA.

Sakaja puts off 'Battle of Choirs' Easter show amid financing fears

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Sakaja puts off 'Battle of Choirs' Easter show amid financing fears

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