The few who have turned the corner

Kenyan entertainers are cashing in on corporate endorsements because of their influence and reach to a critical mass market — the youth. Leading the pack is genge star Jua Cali, who has endorsements worth millions of shillings.

He became Kenya’s first artiste to land a major deal when he inked a reported Sh1 million one-year deal with mobile phone giant Motorola for the W series models. According to Motorola, he is quite a catch for their side. He also had other deals with Pilsner and Protex.

It is not hard to see why Jua Cali is a darling of the corporates. In the past two years, he has dominated the airwaves with his genge rhymes. From a humble beginning in California Estate in Nairobi’s Eastlands, Jua Cali, whose real name is Paul Nunda, is in a different league financially from most of his peers.

His music is played everywhere, he gets shows -- both corporate and public -- every so often, and he does not seem to tire.
Just the other day he was declared the face of mobile phone provider Orange, giving him a cool Sh6 million. “Our support of Jua Cali is limitless and has no time barrier,” said Angela Nganga Mumo of Orange.

According to the contract, the company will use the artiste during its campaign and events throughout the year. They will also support his concerts among other engagements.

His task is to popularise Orange’s new product, Hello Tunes, a special ring tone service that allows Orange mobile subscribers to select songs for their callers.

In addition to Charles Bukeko, other artistes who could rival Jua Cali in terms of raking in the millions is Daniel Ndambuki of Churchill Live fame, who is said to have made good money from corporate deals. Others are Nameless, Prezzo, the Kleptomaniax trio and DJ Pinye, who all did the Trust condom media campaign.

But, even as they make their money from campaigns, others have been victims of lopsided deals after failing to read the fine print. There have been reports of ad agencies picking fresh talent and giving them contracts that are worth less than Sh50,000.

Eddy Kimani, a renowned actor, radio presenter and a popular face on commercials, says that happens when one lands a commercial without proper advice.

Important things

He says it is important to know what to expect in a contract. “Some of the important things to know are the duration the commercial will run, where it will run and the payment structure. Many are excited of landing such contracts, and they don’t read through the contracts,” Mr Kimani said.

He recalls a time when he had to take legal action against a company that had breached the terms in their contract. “We had a signed agreement that they would use my image for two years, but even after it expired they continued using it, and they weren’t paying. I took legal action, and I was compensated, although not as I would have wished,” he added.

It was because of this that he started a casting agency, Surasauti, to find jobs for members. Our investigations have established that a majority of young people, especially women, who have taken part in commercials, have no idea how much the companies pay for their services because the agents make sure that they never meet the clients.

A model may be given Sh100,000 and made to sign declaration forms that she will not ask for any further payments. The agents could have been paid up to Sh1 million.

“My advice to girls is do not sign anything until you have enough information, and it might be wise to involve a lawyer,” said a Nairobi model who was a victim of a lopsided agreement and who did not want her name disclosed as this may jeopardise her future contracts.