Julius Mugure had to learn the hard way, and it was a bitter lesson. Many Meru County residents have expressed their displeasure with her after she asked the MYS making stars winners to draft a proposal outlining how much money they had so that it could be supplemented.
According to Mwalimu, a Meru-based established musician, people draft proposals to the government, requesting financial assistance and it was a ruse to deceive the MYS making stars winners and a scheme to steal even the small amount of money they won so they could return it to her and then have it stolen.
Mwalimu said he was curious as to what was wrong with the acting CEO of Meru County Ministry of Youth, Gender and Sports, Juliana Mugure and CEC Koome Miriti, as their salary from Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi appeared to be insufficient.
“I was a member of the MYS Making Stars committee, which began by auditioning talented artists from Meru County’s nine sub-counties. The artists who finished first, second, third, and fourth were expected to compete at an academy in Igoji to determine the winner,” he said.
“Those who did not win received a Ksh 5000 cash prize. According to an agreement reached between established artists and the Meru County government, the artists who placed first, second, and third would have their album recorded with a video for free,” he said.
Mwalimu said that the Ksh 200,000 prize money would be given to the artist so that their parents would be proud of them and to help the artists market their songs because they would already have their album recorded.
“When the agreement was not met and the artists began to complain, they were asked to write a proposal outlining how much money they had so that it could be replenished. I’d like to inform Juliana Mugure and Koome Miriti that no public office in Kenya has ever asked people to write proposals outlining how much money they have so that it can be supplemented,” he said.
According to Mwalimu, Meru-based established musicians expressed their concerns but they were not heard. He said that Juliana Mugure and Koome Miriti shifted the focus away from the main issue.
“We know Koome Miriti and Juliana sent fares to upcoming artists and invited them to their office. Koome and Juliana should understand that the upcoming artists are our fans, and they will still meet with us and consult with us in the field,” he said.
Our main concern was that the upcoming artists who finished first, second, and third in the MYS Making Stars event did not have their album recorded for free, as agreed. The money they were paid was supposed to cover clothing expenses so that they could be stand out as musicians,” he said.
“If we were to contact any of the upcoming artists, I doubt they would have their album recorded. Juliana secretly summoned them to her office and informed them that we are envious of them and do not want them to succeed,” he said.
“Juliana Mugure and Koome Miriti should avoid deflecting attention away from the main issue by alleging that established musicians were bribed to complain on television. They intend to lead people in circles in order to steal money intended for musicians,” he said.
“Juliana claimed that no one can challenge her because she has the ability to use her intimacy skills. Residents of Meru County should be aware that Juliana Mugure and Koome Miriti do not want their children to be successful in the music industry. They lie to Kiraitu Murungi about the well-being of musicians in Meru County,” he said.
According to Mwalimu, Juliana and Koome are not assisting musicians and instead use the money they steal to purchase vehicles for the matatu business. He claimed that they spend the majority of their time drinking in clubs with money meant for musicians.
Juliana said that what surprised her was that some of the established musicians were dissatisfied with the upcoming artists who visited her offices.
As a CEO and a young person interested in the entertainment industry, I believe that musicians should be actively involved in content creation. They should spend the majority of their time in the studio creating songs, raps, spoken word, and comedies for people to listen to,” she said.
According to Juliana, the MYS making stars upcoming artists are rapidly growing, and if the established musicians are not careful, the upcoming artists will force them out of the industry.
“We love them and welcome them because, in my opinion, no established artist wants to see upcoming artists fail to succeed. Mwalimu, Promise, Man Kinyua, and Mwenda Silibe cannot sing for the residents of Meru County alone. We’d all like to see more talented singers in Meru County,” he said
Mwalimu said that Juliana should stop feeding bad advice into the minds of upcoming artists because they will seek advice from established musicians on the field.
