Popular YouTuber Henry Desagu has rubbished claims that he is broke, facing hard times and battling bouts of depression.
In an interview with Alex Mwakideu and Emmanuel Mwashumbe on ‘Breakfast47’, Desagu said the claims were misleading narratives created by bloggers.
Desagu said the photos that purportedly showed him in a “state of confusion” while walking along Thika super-highway were misinterpreted.
He clarified that he was, actually, in the service lane after stepping out of his vehicle, reiterating that he has always been in a car while travelling that route.
The self-proclaimed Prince of Mwihoko accused the photographer of masquerading as a Good Samaritan to fabricate the circumstances of the encounter.
“Those are innuendos. Huyo mtu alikuja akajiita ‘Good Samaritan’. Kwanza, haujiiti ‘Good Samaritan’ – ni wewe unaitwa na wengine. Akasema alinipata Thika road. Hakusema nilikuwa service lane, side ya kutoka Thika. So, hayo mambo ni mtu aliandika. Nimeskia ulisema kuna picha ziliandamana, mimi sijaziona. In social media, people are very quick to consume negative news. Kwa msikilizaji wa ‘Radio47’, niko salama wa salmin,” he assured.
Desagu emphasized that he is doing well and, unlike many celebrities, he is readily accessible.
“Ikumbukwe mimi ni mtu wa watu; sherehe hapa na pale. Kama msanii, hakuna sehemu siingii. Mimi ni mkenya wa kawaida, ntaenda huko nje iwe ni kwa burudani pamoja na wengine. So, nikiwa katika ile hali ya burudani, mtu anaweza kuniona. Kama wasanii, kuna mambo mengi tunapatia lakini si kila tatizo ni kuhusu usanii, inaweza kuwa mambo ya familia au marafiki,” said the comedian.
He further elaborated that he faces life’s challenges just like everyone else.
“I am very okay. Na kama kuna hali ngumu napitia, ni kile ambacho kila mtu anakipitia kama vile uchumi wa nchi ambao kila mkenya anateta ni ngumu. Ni shamra shamra tu za maisha.” said Desagu.
Comedy sabbatical
The YouTuber indicated to Mwakideu and Mwashumbe that his hiatus from content creation was a result of a strategic plan aimed at rebranding, having embarked on his comedy career in 2016.
“Nilianza comedy mwaka wa 2016. Ilipofika mwaka wa 2022, wakati wa Covid, mimi pamoja na kikundi changu tukaona ni vizuri tu restrategize. Kile kitu ambacho tulikuwa tunakifanya mwaka wa 2016 kama vile kutangazia watu kwa barabara, after miaka nane huwezi fanya hivyo. Tukaona kuna mambo tunafaa tubadilishe,” said Desagu.
Desagu noted that he is formulating a plan to transition his popular YouTube platform into a television format.
The acclaimed comedian said he additionally aims to expand his content range beyond his Mwihoko persona to welcome fresh creative voices from Generation Z.
“Ile YouTube channel ya Desagu, tumeiskuma sasa iko karibu kufika 1 million subscribers. Tunafaa tuongeze watu wengine iache kuwa mwonekano wa Desagu. Hivyo, tunajumuisha watu wengine ikuwe TV sasa. Kama ni ile quality au njia tulikuwa tunatumia ku-monitize tunajaribu ku-improve,” said Desagu.
According to a father of one, the television format will soon entail a pay-per-view approach.
“Miaka inasonga – naenda nikizeeka. Tunajaribu kuweka Gen Z, ndio watuletee idea mpya. So from 2022 mpaka sasa hivi, tumekuwa in a bit of restrategizing; kuangalia vile platform na social media inaendelea. Sasa tunaleta content vizuri kabisa. In near future hio view moja unanipa ukitazama content yangu, unaweza ilipia – ikuwe pay-per-view,” he said.
