Ghetto gospel on peace

Presenters Mbusi, Sollo and Essie have, from Wednesday, been on a unique six-day programme aimed at preaching the message of peace among the youth, especially during election time. Kevin Oguoko has details on the ‘Vote Kenya Vote Peace initiative

Three Ghetto Radio presenters have lately been firing their verbal missiles from a glasshouse – literally. And the presenters, who mostly broadcast to youths from the ghetto, have been strutting their stuff in front of Hilton Hotel, an address their target audience only dream of having a meal in.

Yet, it is all for a good cause.

Their theme this year is ‘Vote for Kenya Vote for Peace’, which is meant to sensitise the youth on the importance of peace and around-the-clock voter education. 

The three who include breakfast presenter Sollo, curvaceous chocolate beauty Essie and the popular host Mbusi will be in the glass house, in front of the Hilton Hotel square, for six days without food or water, working eight-hour shifts doing what they do best — hosting shows for their audience on radio.

This year’s glass house is a little different; CCTV cameras are strategically installed in the glasshouse, capturing all activities in the house and streamed live on the Internet.

It will be fun seeing how the three presenters carry themselves as they try out various survival antics in what is likely to the most talked-about event this year.

With elections coming, it’s no brainer that this year’s theme is ‘Vote for Kenya Vote for Peace’. In line with the theme, the programme has been specially modified to sensitise the youth on the importance of peace and around the clock voter education.

Invited guests include officials from the Justice ministry, IEBC and the ICC outreach programme. They are to break down the whole electoral process to the youth as well as provide comprehensive civic education.

The key players in the forthcoming General Elections — the presidential candidates and their running mates — will be interviewed live on air in special one-hour shows running daily from 3-4pm. The leaders are to be challenged on their commitment to a peaceful transition, with the listeners getting to ask the ‘hard’ questions by calling in or posting questions on social media sites.

 “As it stands, after March 4, Kenya will have a new president. We will put the various presidential candidates to task on their commitment to a peaceful pre- and post-election swift transition,” says Ghetto Radio CEO Julius Owino aka Majimaji.

To refresh the memory, activist photographer Boniface Mwangi will be displaying the graphic images he took on post-election violence, at the square.

Dubbed Picha Mtaani, the pictures capture the trauma-inducing moments when Kenyans turned on each other in an orgy of unspeakable violence, just because they held divergent political views. Programme facilitators believe this jolting of memories, which Kenyans would rather forget, is necessary if we are to confront what ails our society.

“We are seeking to show that the post-election violence indeed happened. And so will we let it happen again?” asked Majimaji.

All these events will be wrapped up by performances from Kenyan entertainers on Sunday. Urban hip-hop group Camp Mulla have confirmed attendance to the Sunday event.

Poetic hip-hop artistes Rabbit and Kitu Sewer will also be at hand to entertain their eager audiences. They will share the stage with established names like Makadem and Jimmy Gait.