Kenyan songbird, Esther Akoth, better known as Akothee, is officially the best female artiste in East Africa. Akothee claimed the coveted title at the 6th annual African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMAs) which took place on Saturday, October 26, 2019, in Dallas, Texas.
To clinch the title, Akothee beat other big names in the region such as compatriots Victoria Kimani and Fena Gitu and the Tanzanian duo of Vanessa Mdee and Nandy. Kimani was last year’s winner of this title. Mzazi Willy M. Tuva grabbed the award for Africa’s best radio and TV presenter. Tuva hosts Mseto East Africa on Citizen TV. The show, which cuts across East Africa music and entertainment scene, runs from 4 pm every Monday to Friday. Kenya’s DJ Poison Ivy, who is Dallas Mavericks’ official deejay in the NBA, grabbed the award for the best DJ from East Africa.
DJ Poison Ivy is the first female Kenyan DJ to work with the NBA franchise. The other big winner was Ommy Dimpoz from Tanzania who beat counterparts Ali Kiba, Diamond Platnumz and Harmonize as well as Kenyan artistes Nyashinski and Khaligraph to be crowned the best male artiste in East Africa. Ugandan singer Eddy Kenzo is the previous winner in this category.
Nigeria’s Burna Boy was crowned the artiste of the year while the Toofan Group was voted the best African music group beating the likes of Sauti Sol who won the award last year. The annual African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMAs) provides a platform for African artists to gain recognition for their unique talents and achievements.
This article was originally written by Mercy Wahito for Nairobi News.