According to reports, Tanzanian rapper Diamond Platnumz was paid to appear at the Azimo la Umoja One Kenya Alliance gathering over the weekend.
The organisers were charged $100,000 (Sh11.9 million) for the 10-minute performance, according to individuals familiar with the artist’s booking.
This equates to almost Sh1.2 million per minute for the Tanzanian celebrity who has recently earned international renown.
The money was reportedly paid by a Tanzanian tycoon who wanted to support Azimio la Umoja Presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
One of the key negotiators was said to be Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
“Kindly this is off the record, but the conversation to have Diamond perform at Raila’s rally had been in the pipeline for three weeks. The performance was actually sponsored by a tycoon in Tanzania.
“I am not sure if the tycoon is a businessman or a politician but clearly it seems it’s someone well known to Azimio’s principals. However, what I’m sure of is that Diamond was paid $100,000 for the Kasarani performance,” the source told newsrooms.
Diamond had previously stated that he charged $70,000 for gigs outside of Tanzania, but knowing that it was election season, he figured he could get an extra $30,000.
He came in Kenya, bringing the Kasarani Stadium to a halt, and then flew to South Africa to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.
