Victims of Madness: Hatutaki Mchezo Kwa Kazi

In a recent interview which is probably his only interview in recent years, Domani Munga explained something that relates very much to how we feel as Radio 254. Domani who has been rapping long before the world knew who Wakadinali are explained how it feels to see people who he knows, went to school with or grew up with start to rap now after not understanding or supporting his rap career for the over 15 years he has been rapping. In the words of Munga, he simply stated that he feels such people are bringing jokes to his workplace. In Swahili that is translated to as Kuleta Mchezo Kwa Kazi.

As Radio 254, we welcome the entry of new online radio stations in the online radio industry in Kenya. We however warn them not to be fooled by the glitz and glamour of Kenya’s entertainment industry. Running an online radio station is not easy and not a joke. It might look easy, like watching soccer or golf on the TV and thinking that you can play like the pro’s, but you don’t really know what it takes until you get into it. Before Radio 254 was born and even became a brand, there was a journey of close to ten years that made it possible for Radio 254 to become what it is. Be careful not to want what someone else has without knowing the story and journey that person had to go through to get to where they are at. Simply because someone doesn’t tell you their struggles don’t mean that everything is rosy.

Many online radio stations before Radio 254 have died and even stations that came after Radio 254 have died. Do you ever wonder why Radio 254 is still alive? You don’t have to wonder anymore because we are about to tell you. The reason that Radio 254 will never die is because Radio 254 is not about the founder, money or fame. It is about changing and building a Kenyan music industry that never existed.

Unfortunately, because of the internet, the barriers to entry for starting a podcast or online radio station are very low. Literally, anybody can do it. This makes our job harder because we now have to deal with people in our industry that do not have the same vision or motives as us. Regardless of this however, we cannot stop what we were called to do because of distractions. We have to keep going even though the game we are in is now filled with jokers and people who think that fame is important and can be sexually transmitted.

The sad truth about things is that you cannot eat clout, and neither can you pay your rent using it. If you want to be a radio presenter or own a radio station so you can make money then we recommend that you find a different path that will make you lots of money because online radio can make you money, but it is going to take time for you to build a brand and then start making money. Because many people don’t read these days, we expect that the online radio industry will continue to see new jokers coming in and out of our industry because of disappointment that what they signed up for isn’t what it seemed.

From 2023 we as Radio 254 had zero advertising but despite that survived all of 2023 and all of 2024 before finally landing advertising again in April of 2025. You have to be patient in whatever you do. Nothing is easy and if it is, refuse it. As Radio 254 we are clear about what we are here to do. We exist to play and promote Kenyan music to the world. Anything above and beyond that is a bonus. We don’t care about trending or making millions. We care that if there are Kenyan artists out there that they know that a radio station exists that will play their music so long as it is Kenyan, and they follow instructions. It sucks to see people playing with something you care about and love so much.

What are we supposed to do? All we can do is keep doing what we are and hope that people see and realize the real from the fake. We don’t want to sell you airtime or get you hooked on gambling, we just want to play Kenyan music and have the world listen. That’s it. Too many people are being used by the devil to distract us from what we are trying to do, and we have to keep fighting to protect what we are building and have built. It is easy for someone who has never built anything or is insecure in themselves to attack or try to bring down something that they are envious of but if you put that energy into yourself and build something of your own you would not be bothered or interested in what Radio 254 is doing.

Radio 254™ is a brand and is not going anywhere. You are free to listen or not listen to Radio 254. You don’t have to. We just ask that you do kindly put some respect on our name. If you have an issue with Radio 254 address it like an adult through communication. If Radio 254 has wronged you or owes you money, take them to court as is your right. If all you have is bitterness and social media, tweet or post your heart out, we don’t care, you can even @ us but we won’t respond. We are going to keep doing what the lord brought us here to do. We are going to keep playing Kenyan music, we are going to keep giving Kenyan artists a platform, we are going to keep trying to find ways to make radio 254 sustainable, we are going to keep trying until this thing works the way we envision it and want it work. The one thing we are not going to do is give up. We have come to far to give up or care about other peoples opinions. Please have fun and waste your time, we just kindly us that you don’t waste our time. We are busy doing the lords work that nobody was doing before we came on the scene and that nobody else is interested in doing. The dream is to see Kenyan music as big as Afro Beats or Afro Fusion and we can’t stop until we get there.