Ready to rise again
ABeatrice Mbugua, better known as Betty Bayo, is a top gospel artiste with three albums, several hit songs and awards to her name. She is married to "Dr" Victor Kanyari. PHOTO | CHARLES KAMAU |NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
My husband, Bishop Kanyari, is a prophet. He needs to reach as many people as possible through his ministry. He cannot reach as many people by just waiting for people to come to him, he has to try reaching them.
To air a service for only half an hour on TV costs about Sh130,000.
He has about four shows every week, so in a month, he spends over Sh1 million on TV only. He needs support to do that.
- I run an organisation called Tambua Africa, which distributes re-usable sanitary pads to girls from poor backgrounds. I’m mostly funded by organisations in South Africa to do so.
- We are very quick to judge people. We need to stop that. In most cases, those who judge others the wrong way have done worse mistakes than the people they judge. Like human beings, we all learn from our mistakes and can be better people tomorrow.
Beatrice Mbugua, better known as Betty Bayo, is a top gospel artiste with three albums, several hit songs and awards to her name; but Betty’s success has its share of controversy too.
The last time Buzz interviewed you, you were still a young girl trying to make a name in the gospel music industry…
Yes, but that has since changed. I’m all grown up.
How grown up…
I’m now a married woman and I have a daughter. My music career has grown too.
Before I get back to family, you only started releasing new songs recently, right?
Yes, I had to take care of my family first. It’s not easy to be a new mother and still manage to be the best in the music industry at the same time. The last two years have been very challenging too.
Why challenging?
I did a private wedding, so you can imagine the backlash I got from some of my friends.
I prefer my private life to remain just that; private.
Then my husband, who is a preacher, was all over the news that he is conning people through church. It has been tough.
Tell me more about that…
Okay, my husband, Bishop Kanyari, is a prophet.
He needs to reach as many people as possible through his ministry. He cannot reach as many people by just waiting for people to come to him, he has to try reaching them.
To air a service for only half an hour on TV costs about Sh130,000.
How many TV shows does he have every weekend?
He has about four shows every week, so in a month, he spends over Sh1 million on TV only. He needs support to do that.
How did the alleged scandal affect his ministry?
Of course it was heartbreaking when he was branded a conman, but most people chose to look at it that way.
He has more followers ever since and he has been receiving so much support to spread the word of God to those who cannot physically reach him.
Has your music been affected?
It has not been affected at all.
How about your personal life?
Of course there are people who wrote to me discouraging messages on social media and even on text messages.
I thank God that my husband helped me be strong. He was not shaken by the whole issue to begin with.
Honestly speaking, how is marriage life?
It’s a different experience for me, and a new chapter in my life.
I’m enjoying it and I’m happy I made this step in my life. Every decision I make in life involves my husband and daughter, and that is just beautiful.
Do people treat you the same way they did while single?
Definitely not, they know I have responsibilities so no one would just call me out of the blues to hang out with them. I am more respected now, compared to when I was single.
You are also involved in charity work, tell me more about that…
I come from a very humble background, where I used to struggle so much to even raise Sh50 or Sh100.
With that in mind, giving back to the society that boosted me through my music has always been my goal.
What do you do for charity…
Lots of people are involved in children’s homes, I decided to work with the girl child.
I run an organisation called Tambua Africa, which distributes re-usable sanitary pads to girls from poor backgrounds. I’m mostly funded by organisations in South Africa to do so.
Are the re-usable sanitary pads safe?
Yes, they have been approved by the relevant authorities and are really helpful especially in rural areas.
What’s your opinion on the Kenyan gospel music industry?
Despite the many scandals involved, it’s a growing industry. No one is an angel, we are all human beings and making mistakes is part of growth.
How successful can one get in the industry?
It is difficult because once you reach a certain level, it is hard to grow.
The secular music industry has awards like Channel O Music Video awards and the MTV Africa Music awards. In East Africa alone, the biggest gospel award is Groove Awards.
I don’t know any continental award for gospel music. Once you win a Groove Award, there is nothing more to look forward to. Those boundaries need to be broken for one to measure success in this industry.
What have you learnt in life so far?
We are very quick to judge people. We need to stop that.
In most cases, those who judge others the wrong way have done worse mistakes than the people they judge. Like human beings, we all learn from our mistakes and can be better people tomorrow.
