Why Kenyan Content Creators, Influencers, Bloggers & Publishers Are Starving While Brands Splurge Billions Upfront To Global Tech Giants

Kenya, a country that prides itself on its technological advancements and youthful innovation, has become a cruel playground where digital creators, content creators, influencers, bloggers, and publishers are forced into modern-day servitude. Unlike their counterparts in South Africa and Nigeria, who earn livable wages for their craft, Kenyan content creators must beg—yes, literally beg—to be paid for work done. In some cases, payments have been delayed for years, with brands and agencies playing an elaborate game of “hide and seek” whenever invoices are due and if they speak up, they are blacklisted. Agencies are known for this myopic business practice.

This is the sorry reality for thousands of Kenyan digital creators, a workforce that should be at the forefront of economic growth but is instead treated as expendable. While multinationals and top Kenyan brands boast of their digital ad spend, they seem to have mastered the art of paying Google and Facebook upfront but suddenly develop amnesia when it’s time to pay the very people creating content that fuels their campaigns. The irony is thicker than Nairobi traffic.

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Let’s talk numbers because, as we all know, figures don’t lie. Kenya’s digital marketing and influencer sector is worth an estimated KES 14 billion annually. Yet, the amount of this money that reaches the hands of content creators and bloggers is laughable. By comparison, South Africa’s influencer marketing industry stands at KES 55 billion, while Nigeria’s is valued at around KES 48 billion. The difference? In these countries, payment structures are more professionalized, and contracts are honored with timelines that do not resemble geological eras.

Figure 1; This graph showcases the projected growth of social and digital media in Kenya over the next 10 years.

Source; SokoDirectory Research.

In Kenya, the average influencer earns between KES 5,000 to KES 50,000 per campaign, often after weeks or months of chasing payments. Contrast that with South Africa, where mid-tier influencers pocket between KES 150,000 and KES 400,000 per campaign. Nigeria isn’t any different—there, content creators are commanding fees of between KES 120,000 and KES 350,000 per campaign, and payments are processed within weeks, not years. If Kenya is truly East Africa’s economic hub, why do its creatives earn like they live in the Stone Age?

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A deeper look into advertising expenditure reveals a mind-boggling trend. Kenyan companies spent over KES 60 billion on digital ads in 2023. Guess how much of this went to local influencers and publishers? A meager KES 1.8 billion. The rest—over KES 58 billion—was pumped into Google, Meta, and foreign digital platforms. Essentially, brands would rather enrich Mark Zuckerberg than pay a local creative. And then they wonder why their audiences don’t engage with their campaigns.

In South Africa, top brands allocate approximately 30% of their digital ad budget to local influencers and publishers. In Nigeria, it’s around 25%. Kenya? A measly 3%. It’s an outright scandal that local creatives are starved while international corporations feast on Kenyan advertising money.

Yet, Kenyan brands dare to complain about low audience engagement. Here’s a thought: perhaps if they paid content creators fairly, they would get better results. Maybe if they channeled at least 20% of their digital budgets into local influencer campaigns, they would see meaningful impact. But no, they’d rather finance Silicon Valley while leaving Kenyan creatives to survive on exposure and unfulfilled promises.

The laws in Kenya regarding timely payments are as clear as day. The Employment Act and the Contracts Act mandate that service providers must be paid within agreed timelines. But what happens when agencies and brands delay payments for months, sometimes years? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In a just world, these companies would be slapped with penalties for delayed payments, with interest accruing for every day of delay. But in Kenya, the content creator must suffer in silence or risk being blacklisted from future opportunities.

And speaking of blacklisting—why has it become standard practice for brands and agencies to threaten influencers who dare to demand their rightful earnings? In South Africa, influencer contracts include clear penalty clauses for delayed payments, and legal recourse is a real threat. Nigerian creators have strong unions advocating for timely payments. In Kenya? Demand your payment, and you might as well be excommunicated from the industry.

Kenyan brands need to wake up and realize that they are suffocating an entire creative industry. A vibrant digital content sector means economic growth, job creation, and a stronger national brand. It means local creators can build sustainable careers, reinvest in their businesses, and contribute to the economy. It means that a young, talented Kenyan doesn’t have to choose between pursuing their passion and affording basic needs.

Imagine a world where brands paid Kenyan influencers on time, and where the industry was built on mutual respect rather than exploitation. The digital economy would thrive, new talent would emerge, and the sector would be a formidable force in Africa. But for that to happen, brands must do more than issue meaningless “We appreciate our influencers” tweets. They must put their money where their mouth is—literally.

The solution is simple: brands must allocate at least 20% of their digital ad budgets to direct payments for local content creators. They must scrap the exploitative agency model where middlemen pocket millions while influencers scrape by. They must introduce legal frameworks ensuring penalties for delayed payments. Most importantly, they must treat creators with the respect they deserve.

Kenyan brands love to talk about supporting local talent. Here’s their chance to prove it. Pay the creators. Pay the bloggers. Pay the publishers. And do it on time. Otherwise, they might as well replace their “Buy Kenya, Build Kenya” slogans with “Exploit Kenya, Starve Kenya.”

The clock is ticking, and the digital revolution waits for no one. Kenya can either empower its creators or watch them abandon ship for countries that value their work.

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