Remember The Sauti Sol Obama Performance At State House? Well,We Can Now Reveal How Much They Were Paid. And Who Took Them To State House

It was Obama’s historic visit to Kenya as President. He’d been here before,countless times actually,first as a community organizer in Chicago and lawyer searching for his Kenyan roots and again as a fresh,dashing senator from Illinois who would go on to rattle the World and scoop the Presidency in a style and fashion that will be remembered for decades to come.

Many lined up to meet and shake the hand of the man otherwise called the Most Powerful Person On Earth.

MPs,Governors,Senators,Businessmen,power brokers,civil rights activists,MCAs,everyone made a beeline to have a little chat and close-up of the President of the United States.

Amid the intrigues and the euphoria surrounding the eclectic visit,a Kenyan pop band managed to sneak their way through the tight and busy schedules of the visiting Head Of State to not just see him person to person but also entertain him – even dance for and with him.

Sauti Sol.

As Kenya’s top pop outfit,it was only natural that the Lazizi composers would be selected to break a jig with Mr. Obama.

I mean,they had been to State House before and had long been considered to be buddies with the President Uhuru Kenyatta.

But this was Obama we are talking about here.

A man whose schedule and itinerary is so meticulously manned and tightly controlled that you need months and months of intense vetting and approvals before you can be allowed near him. Leave alone ask him to come over and dance with you. Or throw your hands over him,cue Bien Aime.

As the preparations to hist Obama on a colorful State House dinner reached fever pitch,one man was contacted and given the duty of handling Obama’s entertainment. That man was Bruce Odhiambo,a legendary music producer and veteran industry insider.

Music legend,Bruce Odhiambo.

Ever the mercurial planner,Bruce hatched the perfect plan – bring together Kenya’s best pop band,Sauti Sol, Kenya’s best pianist and arranger Chris Adwar and a composer of one of Kenya’s most enduring anthems,the iconic Wesonga.

Bruce quickly made a call to the Sauti Sol management.

“Listen,this is Bruce Odhiambo. I need Sauti Sol to perform for The President of the United States of America Barack Obama. Tonight. At State House. Nairobi… “

That’s a call you don’t treat lightly. A duty you don’t ignore.

In fact,around that same time,Sauti Sol actually had a scheduled concert performance in Zimbabwe which had to be quickly cancelled and rescheduled to create room for the abrupt Obama State House gig.

Quickly,the band came together,but even for the money,but for the historic chance and the opportunity to go down in the annals of history.

Sauti Sol was now going to be compared and talked of in the same breath with legends who had performed for Barack Obama in the past.

Stevie Wonder. Aretha Franklin. Lenny Kravitz. Beyoncé. Esperanza Spalding. Carlos Santana. Lady Gaga. Elton John.

The show came and went. And Sauti Sol did magic on that night. Pure magic.

How much were they paid,you might ask.

Well,how about a cool Ksh. 300,000.

Yup. 0.3 Million Kenya Shillings.

But for Sauti Sol,it wasn’t about the paycheck,but the once in a lifetime opportunity.

And as for Bruce Odhiambo,a man of many firsts,this was a responsibility he will never forget.

And a responsibility we are glad he was given.