Eddie Butita, a well-known comedian and scriptwriter, has shared fascinating insights into his media career and the incredible people who shaped his success.
Butita told the ‘Iko Nini’ podcast how he earned $2,500 at a conference that was not intended to be paid.
“Niliitwanga states na wasee wengine walikua wanafanya kiconference ilikuwa inaitwa Gotabgaa, a Kalenjin word that loosely translates to nyumba flani,” Butita said.
The event was planned by his American buddy Kennedy Crazy and was supposed to be a Talent Gala.
While the Gala did not take place, it proved to be a watershed moment in Butita’s career.
“But hiyo pia ilikua miraculous sana. Kuna boy wangu anaitwa Kennedy Crazy alikuwa states so alikuwa anapanga kitu flani ya Talent Gala… So hiyo Gala wao ndo walinisaidia kuget Visa, but hatukufanya hiyo Gala,” he said.
Butita was able to obtain a visa thanks to Kennedy and his connections, even though the event did not take place as scheduled.
Butita saw an opportunity with his newfound visa when he realized that some people were being denied visas while he had one.
He met a friend named Njoro, who introduced him to a man named Allan.
It came out that they were looking for an artist to perform at a conference. Butita accepted the offer without hesitation.
“Then watu wananyimwa mavisa, so mi naambia Njoro, na watu wananyimwa aje mavisa na niko nayo kwa nyumba. Njoro akaniambia buda manze uko na Visa, akapigia boy flani anaitwa Allan akamshow amepata msee ako na Visa.
“Msee akaniambia tunatafuta mtu ata attend hii conference, msanii mwenye atakam kama mtu wa arts. Utaongea vitu mbili tatu then uperform and that’s it.” he said.
Despite the fact that the conference was not intended to be a paid event, Butita’s talent and humour attracted the audience, and he ended up earning nearly $2,500 in gratuities alone.
The majority of his earnings came from grateful audience members who were wowed by his comic abilities.
“Hiyo show kitu ilikua, it was not supposed to be a paid show…. But nilimake karibu 2500 dollars. Funny enough mostly ni tips kutoka kwa wasee,” he said.
