Woman behind Burna Boy Sh128m Nairobi concert

Calm and soft-spoken, Joy Wachira’s iPhone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Now and then, she would glance at it and press the snooze button. She had about 25 missed calls in the 38 minutes we sat talking.

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m scared. This is by far my biggest project in the 15 years I have been in this events business. Burna Boy is coming, and he is bringing a team of over 61 people. Do you know what that means to an investor?” poses Ms. Wachira, the managing director at Madfun Group, an events production, travel, and ticketing company.

Joy’s schedule is packed these days as she hops from one meeting to another. If she’s not coordinating with Burna Boy’s management, she’s liaising with suppliers and vendors, negotiating with sponsors, or locked in a security meeting with the Nairobi Sub-County Police Commander, Monica Kimani.

She has organized other notable events, including The Maverick City and Kirk Franklin concerts, and curated an entrepreneurship and leadership summit that featured American televangelist TD Jakes as a guest speaker. She also hosted rapper Nyashinski’s one-man concert, Shin City, and has brought American gospel singer Travis Greene to the country multiple times.

The upcoming Burna Boy show at Uhuru Gardens has her particularly anxious due to the substantial financial investment involved. “You’re asking about the minimum investment we’ve put into this project so far? Let’s talk about Burna’s known performance fee of $1 million (Sh128 million). Or do you think he would charge less just because he is performing in Africa? That’s just the performance fees at a basic minimum, without factoring in his transport, accommodation, and the stages. It’s a crazy budget that scares, but you need to be bold,” she says.

Burna Boy will be accompanied by his extensive band, The Outsiders. The last time he performed in Kenya was six years ago, when he charged a performance fee of Sh5 million. At that time, he had no backline, just two bouncers and a manager. Burna Boy was then just a ‘boy’. He is now at the pinnacle of his music career.

The Grammy Award winner no longer flies business class; a private jet is now his standard mode of travel. As a requirement for any event organizer wishing to book Burna Boy, arranging a private jet is mandatory even before negotiations commence. Burna Boy travels separately from his band; the jet is reserved exclusively for him, his manager, and close associates.

“People think Burna Boy is expensive, but I think he is worth every penny. He is a Grammy Award winner, and he is currently the biggest artist in Africa. He is a global star, and his performance is top-notch,” Ms. Wachira asserts.

Organizing such a high-profile event comes with its challenges. “The logistics are crazy. We have to fly in his band and crew, accommodate them, provide security, and ensure everything runs smoothly. It’s a massive undertaking, but we are up to the task,” she adds.

Despite the challenges, Ms. Wachira remains optimistic. “We are excited to bring Burna Boy to Kenya. It’s going to be a historic event, and we are working hard to ensure it’s a success. We want to give Kenyans a world-class experience,” she concludes.