Kenyans have only today to submit gospel music/artists works  they would want to see on the Groove Awards Nominees list this year.

Artists and other Industry stakeholders have taken to social media and mainstream platforms since the opening of the submissions/nominations process to urge fans to nominate their best works for the much anticipated 14th edition of the Awards ceremony.

As was introduced last year after research and public insights, Groove allows for the public involvement in the nomination process giving them the power to choose who makes it to the nominees list.

This continues to generate a lot of excitement amongst stakeholders and the industry as it gives greater ownership and participation to music fans across the country. Additional insights this year also saw the introduction of new categories to cater for the changing dynamics; 

The new categories this year are;-  

• Young Groover of the year
• Digital/Online Personality of the year
• Top Diaspora Song

Other categories in which the public will submit their preferred nominees are:

• Artist of the year
• Song of the year
• Teens’ Choice song of the year
• Breakthrough artist of the year
• Hop-Hop song of the year
• Ragga/Reggae song of the year
• Praise and Worship song of the year
• Collabo of the year
• Music video of the year
• Dance Style/Song of the year
• Radio Presenter of the year
• TV Presenter of the year
• Hypeman/MC of the year
• Breakthrough DJ of the year
• Eastern Counties song of the year
• Western Counties song of the year
• Rift Counties song of the year
• Nyanza Counties song of the year
• Central Counties song of the year
• Coastal Counties song of the year

Fans have been directly nominating their favourite songs and artists through www.grooveawards.co.ke ; a process which closes on 30th April.  

As is customary, the nominees are set to be unveiled at the Groove Nomination Night-a Red Carpet event graced by the Gospel fraternity and media.

Groove Awards continues to be the region’s premier Gospel Award ceremony. It has always sought to promote and connect Gospel artists across Africa and foster unity among industry stakeholders, all the while raising the quality and standards of the local music industry. 

Voting will then open to the public shortly after the nominees unveil. Who will make it to the list this year? You have only 1 more day. The power is in your hands!

Kenyan Pop artist and one of the biggest hitmakers of our generation, Kristoff has released a brand new video 'RAINBOW'.

Known for his slew of club bangers including “Umeniwahi” and “Handle It” and the 2018 mega collaboration “Dundaing” with King Kaka and Magix Enga, the certified hit maker delivers a heartfelt mid-tempo jam that is perfect for the lovers - blending rap and infectious melodies.

Produced by JackJack On The Beat, 'Rainbow' was mixed and mastered by Lucas of Ogopa DJs with Yvonne Darcq providing the backup vocals.

The video was shot in Zanzibar by top cinematographer Kenny from Tanzania. Kristoff shares that of all his music videos, this is the one that he has really enjoyed shooting the most.

Ahead of the release, he says, “This song was inspired by Love, Beauty and Happiness and is a fun love song for people to enjoy with their lovers. I wrote this for my fans and I hope they all vibe to it.” Adding, “The fact that I also love colorful things is one of the reasons behind the title RAINBOW.”

Kristoff has built a strong brand consistently releasing a series of chart-topping hits. In 2019, so far he has already released two collaborations “Somaga” and “Bungee Jump” with Naiboi which are currently ruling the airwaves and receiving airplay across the country. As one of the artists with several collaborations, he stands out for his signature flow and catchy lyrics and has a midas that seems to turn every song he's on into a mega-hit.

Currently, Kristoff is working on an album set for release next year. Before then, he is planning on releasing several hit singles and collaborations all year.

Watch the video below

After a successful launch of her first album titled 'The African Princess" In Daresalaam, Tanzania last year on 9th November (her birthday), Tanzanian songbird Nandy finally managed to also launch the same album in Nairobi last Sunday at the Golden Ice Bistro, exclusive to her Kenyan fans.

Nandy becomes the third Tanzanian artist to launch an album in Kenya, Nairobi after Diamond who also launched his album "A boy from Tandale ' in Nairobi last year and Vanessa Mdee who also launched hers 'Money Mondays" in 2018.

In an interview with journalists at the red carpet Nandy who was accompanied by her 'close Kenyan friend' Willy Paul maintained that she is not in competition with her fellow artists from Tanzania (Diamond and Vanessa).

"I know that Diamond and Vanessa did their launches here, I am not here to copy what they did or for competition. I have a management that knows what is right for me" said Nandy.

On his part Willy Paul refuted claims that they are dating saying they are only close friends and that he enjoys working with Nandy. The two already have two collabos together 'Njiwa' and the latest one 'Hallelujah'.

The launch was attendend by artists from both Kenya and Tanzania. From Tanzania there was Dogo Janja and Linex who recently released a collabo with Akothee.

The team from Kenya included Prezzo, Masauti, Dufla, Naiboi, Viola Karuri among others. Media personalities, Rashid Abdallah, Haassan Mugambi, Willy Tuva and Alex Mwakidue were also present.

During the launch fans were taken through Nandy's music journey through a short video played on screens. She also performed all the 13 songs in the album using a live band with fans  singing back to most of her hits.

Kenya’s celebrated power couple Wahu and Nameless, and content creator Maureen Waititu marked The World Malaria Day with Mothers and their newborns at Pumwani Maternity and Mama Lucy Hospital in Nairobi where they donated Mortein Doom goodies.  

The two hospitals benefited from the new initiative that seeks to enhance their knowledge on preventive measures of the killer diseases – Malaria.

The awareness drive, which was rolled out at Pumwani and Mama Lucy hospital in Nairobi by Mortein Doom intends to reach to the more than 2500 Mothers who visit the health facilities.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the World Malaria Report 2018, More than four million cases of malaria are reported annually in Kenya with a 5.1% mortality rate being reported among patients admitted with severe malaria.

The situation becomes direr with children under age 5 and pregnant women are the most vulnerable to infection.

Speaking during the world Malaria day which is globally acknowledged on the 25^th of April, RB’s Country Manager, Sachin Varma noted that RB through its brand, Mortein Doom, will remain a key stakeholder in insuring that the Malaria scourge is controlled through driving public educational initiatives that reinforce the message that Malaria is preventable and treatable.

“As we all work towards achieving the strategic development goals (SDG’s) in the country, RB is keen on ensuring that Malaria is controlled throughout the country and will continue to be steadfast at driving initiatives through our collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners to scale up campaigns geared towards reinforcing the message that Malaria is preventable.” noted Mr. Sachin.

The world malaria day celebrations in Kenya were also held in Bondo Town, Siaya County.

 A report by the ministry of health states that regions around the lake region have the highest prevalence of malaria at 27 per cent.  

The key interventions to the control of the disease include provision of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women, prompt diagnosis and effective treatment of all malaria cases.

“RB through Mortain Doom as we have continuously done will endeavor to enroll more of these initiatives to ensure that we provide knowledge on prevention of this killer disease as we also aim to support the ministry of health in reducing the many cases that are reported in the county to ensure a productive citizenry that is productive” added Mr Sachin

Kenya is making significant gains in the fight against malaria through interventions by the ministry of health in collaboration with various partners, the country has achieved a 47 percent reduction in malaria incidence between 2015 and 2018.

RB through their Health & Hygiene brands – Mortein Doom, Dettol, Jik, Harpic and Strepsils have been steadfast in the promotion of good health among Kenyans through initiatives that are geared towards the prevention of sickness.

Rockstar Africa introduces MBIO by AliKiba

'Mbio' is  a love ballad AliKiba wrote about 10 years ago when he first visited Oman, fast forward to 2019, Alikiba returned to Oman for a Grand Concert at The Intercontinental Hotel and got inspired to finalise the song and shoot the Music Video at Jebel Sifah, one of several great destinations in Muscat.

Mbio is a "love gone wrong" ballad that explains the feelings of a man who is still in love with his woman, who has fallen out of love with him. What to do? sometimes it's better to just walk away.. MBIO!!

Tanzanian artist Ben Pol has proposed to his Kenyan girlfriend Anerlisa Muigai.

Dressed in all-white, the 'Moyo Mashine' hitmaker went down on one knee on the beach and popped the big question to Anerlisa who is also the Keroche Breweries heiress, she  said yes.

Announcing the news, Ben Pol wrote on his Instagram page , “Well, this just happened… she said yes!"

On her part Anerlisa posted ""Holidays are full of surprises."

She continued, "I Said YES ?. #engagement. #❤️".

This comes just few days after rumours started making rounds that she (Anerlisa) is pregnant and this is after Bonfire Adventure’s boss Simon Kabu shared a photo alongside his wife Sara and Anerlisa who seemed to be having a bulging tummy.

Anerlisa however responded by stating “I am here minding my own business then I get a lot of DMs saying Congratulations to me. Can somebody tell me what the Congratulations are all about?”

Kenyan farmers will now export their popular hass avocados to China following a trade deal signed when President Kenyatta met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing today.

The signing of the agreement which makes Kenya the first African nation to export avocados to the Asian nation with a market of over 1.4 billion consumers comes after a long and comprehensive approval process that included Chinese experts visiting Kenyan farmers.

It is estimated that when the agreement is fully implemented, the Chinese market will absorb over 40 percent of Kenya’s avocado produce, making it one of the largest importers of the fruit. Other famous destinations of Kenyan avocado include Europe and the US.

The signing of the protocol on sanitary and phytosanitary (an agreement relating to the health of plants, especially with respect to the rules of international trade)requirements for the export of frozen avocado was the last major hurdle for the Kenyan crop to be accepted in the highly regulated but lucrative Chinese market.

Avocado becomes the second farm produce from Kenya to access the expansive Chinese horticultural market after Stevia and will be followed by 13 other priority farm produce among them flowers, mangoes, French beans, peanut, vegetables, meat, herbs, bixa and macadamia.

The meeting between Presidents Kenyatta and Xi Jinping and their delegations focused on promoting economic and trade exchange in 8 key initiatives identified during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting held in Beijing last year. These initiatives include industrial promotion, trade facilitation, infrastructure connectivity, green development and people-to-people exchange. Others are capacity building, healthcare, and peace and security.

In addition to the avocado deal, President Kenyatta witnessed the signing of an agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation covering all sectors of mutual interest and an MOU on joint promotion of the implementation of the 8 FOCAC priority areas.

President Kenyatta is in Beijing, China for a three-day working tour where he will also attend the Second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation that will be officially opened by President Xi Jinping on Friday.

The President is accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Peter Munya (Trade), Dr.Monica Juma (Foreign Affairs) and James Macharia (Infrastructure) among other senior government officials.

The BRF conference at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC) is being attended by world leaders from 37 countries, 5000 delegates drawn from 150 nations and representatives of 90 international organizations.

During the bilateral talks held at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing, President Kenyatta applauded China’s continued readiness to open its market to Kenyan products.

He said the solid partnership between the two countries has brought great benefits to the people of Kenya especially in areas of poverty alleviation and economic development.

On his part, President Xi Jinping thanked President Kenyatta for attending both the first BRF conference held in May 2017 as well as the current summit saying the Kenyan leader is a witness and core participant of the globally transformative Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which aims at promoting global growth and economy through policy coordination among participating economies, infrastructure connectivity, trade investment and industrial cooperation.

President Xi Jinping further congratulated President Kenyatta for pursuing national reconciliation after his re-election in 2017 which he said has created a conducive environment for the implementation of the Kenyan government’s big 4 development agenda.

Speaking to the media shortly after the signing of the agreement on the export of frozen avocadoes into the Chinese market, Trade CS Peter Munya welcomed the deal and assured that it will immensely benefit Kenyan farmers especially small-holder growers of the crop by not only expanding the market but also improving the prices.

CS Munya encouraged farmers in avocado growing counties to take advantage of the new market by increasing the volumes of production and enhancing quality standards to meet the stringent Chinese regulations.

The BRI, started by China in its efforts to boost people-to-people exchanges, brings together over 150 countries from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Kenya and South Africa are key participants of the BRI from the African continent.

In recent years, China has grown to become one of Kenya’s key development partners, a relationship that has among other successes led to the implementation of key infrastructure projects among them the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and several key roads.

In separate events, President Kenyatta met and held talks with the First Vice Premier of the Communist Party of China Han Zheng during which the two leaders discussed the strengthening relations between Kenya and China. 

The Head of State also met the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde. 

Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa has once again been awarded five-star status by the Tourism Regulatory Authority.

After a rigorous assessment, “Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa was awarded five (5) star rating.This is after the hotel scored 100 % on essential items as required by the EAC grading procedure,” wrote the Director General, Kipkorir Lagat, Tourism Regulatory Authority in the letter conferring the award.

According to Bobby Kamani, Managing Director, Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa, this classification will give Diani Reef a boost to its local and international tourist markets who can expect quality and reliable hospitality services.

“The Diani Reef Family is ecstatic to once again be awarded the Five Star Classification by the Tourism Regulatory Authority. We are immensely grateful to our team and credit this achievement to their tireless efforts; uplift in service and refreshment of key areas of the property in 2018. As always, we remain committed to investing in and supporting initiatives that elevate Diani, Africa’s leading beach destination, to new heights and look forward to welcoming all our guests as members of our own family.” said Kamani

This classification comes shortly after Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa received global recognition as “Africa’s Leading Beach Resort” at the 2018 World Travel Awards and being nominated once again for “Africa’s Leading Beach Resort” and “Kenya’s Leading Beach Resort” at the 2019 World Travel Awards. A prestige which the resort has been previously bestowed in 2010 and 2015.

Veteran Tanzanian female singer Lady Jaydee 'Anaconda' has finally dropped her much awaited video 'I don't care'.

Check out the video.

Just under a year ago, Aggie The Dance Queen’s life changed after her catsuit-encased gyrations caused a sensation with a scene-stealing appearance in Kenyan super group Sauti Sol's clip for their hit "Short N Sweet".

The video vixen went viral when her Odi dance moves made her the kind of celebrity rarely seen in the African dance world. So, when Coke Studio Africa’s new season began, there was only one person to enlist as the choreographer to come up with dope dance designs for the series: Aggie The Dance Queen. 

For the past seven years, Aggie The Dance Queen has been a member of the Sarakasi Dancers, and for the last three, the fitness trainer has also been a choreographer. She believes her success comes down to “hard work, discipline, dedication and commitment".

A lethal combination when topped with her “insatiable desire to dance". Her turn as choreographer and star of Sauti Sol's video not only upped her profile, it also, she believes, “made people appreciate dance as a career in Kenya”. 

She got to put her career to the test on Coke Studio Africa's grueling schedule that featured many artists, singers and dancers collaborating to show off Africa at it’s best.

It was a challenge she relished:  "It was an amazing prospect because I got to show my work, skills and creativity. I got to work with so many African artists - the best singers, dancers and directors; it was an unforgettable experience.” 

How did she go about creating the routines for such a cast of colourful creatives from all over the continent, all repping different genres, flavors and histories?

She shares, “It started with listening to the song several times, listing down the ideas in mind to incorporate props, costumes, dancers and acrobats," adding, "It was also very much about getting the best dancers and most suitable dance styles for certain songs.” 

Coke Studio Africa is a fabulous addition to her resume.

She says, “It helped me create new relationships, elevate my career and has opened me up to more job opportunities,” says agile Aggie who has a  Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Kenyatta University. Her time on set was even sweeter as she got to work with her husband Oscar Mwalo who is as talented as she is as a choreographer and fitness trainer… “We have a very healthy competitive spirit,” she laughs about the hubby who also manages her. 

There are many highlights she remembers from filming this season of Coke Studio Africa “If I could relive the experience, I would! But dancing on that stage for almost each artist was the highlight!!” She pauses and changes her mind, yes she had a standout experience on the show: “The all-female season finale!!!! Whaaaaaattt! I felt so strong and powerful!”