Shaffie Weru Appointed To Sakaja's Govt 2 Years After Homeboyz Radio Firing

Celebrated media personality, Shaffie Weru, has been appointed by Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja as the head of events and branding at the Nairobi County Government.

Shaffie, who has been active in a series of county events, will now be fully in charge of all the county's events as well as branding, a role termed to be aiding in delivering Governor Sakaja's manifesto.

His new role, which he will hold for a period of five years, will involve him overseeing all governors’ indoor and outdoor events, ensuring they look, feel, and sound amazing. 

“Nairobi is the New York or Paris of our country, and we offer the best experience and push boundaries that have never been pushed before to give the best results in service delivery for our number one client, the people of kanairo,” Shaffie stated in a recent interview with Nairobi News.

He added, “It’s not about my vision but the vision of my governor as it is enshrined in his manifesto that includes a City of Dignity and making Nairobi work.”

The former Homeboyz Radio presenter also disclosed he is working on a battle for the Kanairo anthem Nairobi County choir, further noting that he aims to plan events that all other counties in the country would look up to and call for reference.

This will be the second time Shaffie is working with Sakaja, who had contracted him in December 2022 to plan the Nairobi Festival which was held from December 12 to December 17 as well as his inauguration ceremony back in August 2022.

Shaffie, who will report directly to Sakaja, also runs a show dubbed Shafted which covers major interviews with public figures who ‘shafted’ themselves through their actions, controversial behaviour, or scandals that led to their downfall.

During the premiere of the show on Tuesday, January 31, Shaffie revealed that radio stations for example are dying due to competition from alternative sources of media, which is granting advertisers who used to bring money to the stations more options.

“If today I was making a business plan or a media plan for any of the big products out there, there is no way I can put money on TV or radio because you cannot afford the rates which are so high.

"A lot has changed, when we started there was no other way of advertising. Then agents realized they are spending a lot of money in paying for adverts but making less hence withdrawing from media,” he said.

He further lamented how the media space has changed over the years, noting that radio used to enjoy monopoly ways in the past before the modern-day disruption caused by influencers and digital platforms.

Shaffie added that it is the same disruption that has seen advertising agents turn to other platforms offering friendlier rates to the mainstream media, a decision that hurt its businesses and resorting to laying off staff.

The radio king was terminated from the Radio Africa Group radio station alongside Neville Musya, now attached to Trace Radio, and popular Disc-jockey Joseph Munoru alias DJ Joe Mfalme in March 2021 after their remarks triggered a nationwide uproar.

He disclosed on November 24, 2022, that the comments which involved a Nairobi man who pushed a woman off the 12th floor of a building during a date and has since been found guilty, were not the basis of his ouster as something deeper and more complicated took centre stage.