Maina Kageni, 50, is a veteran radio show presenter in Kenya. He is currently a breakfast show host at Classic FM which is owned by Radio Africa Group.
Daniel Ndambuki alias Churchill (TV) alias King’ang’i (radio) is a seasoned thespian in Kenya. The year-old is credited for nurturing the new-age comedy industry with his show Churchill Live where he mentored the biggest names including Professor Hamo, MCA Tricky, Chemutai, MC Jessy, Eric Omondi, and Chipukeezy.
Unknown to many, he is the voice behind King’ang’i who co-presents the morning radio show at Classic 105 with Maina Kageni.
Speaking to the Iko Nini podcast, hosted by Mwafreeka, Jalang’o revealed that the two, each take home over 3 million a month. He pointed out that it is the most listened-to morning radio show in the country.
Jalang’o attributed their massive success to hard work, consistency, and most importantly creativity. Their show and newscasts have the most sponsored ads from companies that target active listeners.
The Lang’ata MP acknowledged that he faced a challenge from the duo, in matters of listenership, when he was still working on radio. Jalang’o once hosted the morning radio show (Jeff & Jalas) with Jeff Koinange at Hot 96. He also did great with Alex Mwakideu at Radio Maisha (Alex &Jeff) before joining politics.
Other biggest-earning radio personalities in Kenya include:
Gidi na Ghost
Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee is a Radio Jambo breakfast host. He has a seamless chemistry with Gidi, his co-host. The two are known for their ‘Patanisho’ program. Mulee has been a Harambee Stars coach. His salary is around KSh 2 million plus added benefits.
Mbusii na Lion
Daniel Githinji Mwangi alias “Mbusii” made his debut on Ghetto Radio before jumping ship to Radio Jambo in 2013. He presents the popular Teke Teke drive show alongside Lion, which is on air from 3 pm to 7 pm. He takes home more than 1.5 million a month.
Jeff Koinange
The Citizen TV news anchor and presenter also doubles up at the breakfast show alongside Nick Odhiambo. He also hosts Smokin Country every Sunday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Jeff carries home a minimum of KSh 2 million per month, The Standard reported.
How Maina Kageni Got On Radio
Maina got on the radio through DJ Pinye and Trevor who wanted him to do a voiceover to advertise some UK DJs that they had brought in. He did not even know what a voiceover was and had never been on the radio.
He did it and the bosses were impressed and asked him if he wanted to be on the radio. Maina was around 22 at the time.
During an interview with then Kiss TV’s Kamene Goro, Maina spoke about his passion for radio keeping him through the years on radio. He has been on the radio for more than two decades, as we speak.
“In media, it’s the quality of the minutes, not the number of the hours,” he said.
Fun Facts on Maina and King’ang’i
- As a testament to the value of his radio income, Maina Kageni revealed that he has insured his voice for over Kshs 100 million.
- Maina has multiple sources of income, including partnering with politicians on PR and marketing and running his own initiatives which are sponsored by big companies.
- Kenya Film Classifications Board (KFCB), once reined in on their Classic 105 FM morning breakfast show. They were spotlighted for their explicit sexual content and nature to attract publicity.
- Churchill is the richest comedian in Kenya who earns over six figures from different business ventures. His show Churchill Show and Churchill Raw are gold comedy standards in Kenya. He is also a celebrated corporate event MC.
