The crucial lesson event organizers learnt from Naifest and Bridget Achieng

Bridget Achieng conceived and executed the Naifest concert this past month and while it was a timely event, it fell short of being a great event because of one main issue that I am sure a lot of event organisers saw but just incase they didn’t, I am here to point it out. That one major flaw was security.

Utaambia watu nini! Tanasha Donna hits back at Bridget Achieng with glorious clap back

You cannot afford to have a concert and skimp on the security offered. You see, a lot of the other glaring blunders that Bridget Achieng and her team made could have been easily ignored save for this one crucial Achilles heel.

It was reported that right from the jump, at the gate as revellers were either making their way in or out of the venue, obs and robbers were doing their thing. And they really cleaned house. One has to wonder what the bouncers and security personnel were doing outside the venue and whether they were in on the crime. The fighting that was also reported to have been going on unchecked was said to have been more like a riot than anything as multiple individuals and parties engaged in fisticuffs.

Drama as Bridget Achieng drags Black Cinderella to court for allegedly ruining her online reputation (Photos)

What was the worst of it all is what took place within the Ngong Racecourse grounds. Apparently, within the concert “stands”, guys were being robbed, women were being harassed and all this was within eyesight of the bouncers. Now, one has to ask the question of whether Bridget Achieng and her people intend to have another concert because if they indeed do (which they have indicated), the issue of the last concert and the manner in which they failed to provide safety and security for their customers is going to haunt them forevermore.

Being an event organizer and a promoter usually comes with some unique headaches. You have to ensure that you visit your local shaman to beseech the weather not to rain in on your parade. You have to pay the police to provide security and grease the wheels of their machinery. You have to ensure that there are adequate ambulances available and first aid responders which is not a cheap undertaking. Then finally, you have to ensure security is provided by a company that has a great reputation and experience but also make sure your acts are on time and you can pay them. Needless to say, this is an expensive undertaking and a lot of Kenyan promoters choose to cut corners.

“My life is in danger!” Boy cries after allegedly receiving threats from Bridget Achieng over the #JusticeForShanty

They hire hooligans from the local gym to act as bouncers and do not bother to give them any courtesy training. They never have ambulances on standby and as for the police, they are usually there to demand bribes and harass the revellers more than to perform any other function.

It would be unfair to single out Bridget Achieng’s event but she is the one who got the equation so horribly wrong that it resulted in  the death of a young man by the name of Shanty. I just hope other event organizers are watching and taking notes.

For more thought-provoking opinion pieces, click here. And be sure to follow our Instagram account.