If you search for the statement,” Richest bloggers in Kenya”, you’ll find the name Sonal Maherali, who is popular on YouTube but the fact of the matter is, she is not the richest bloggers in Kenya. Over the past 10 years I have interacted with more than 100 influential bloggers in Kenya, some of them making up to Ksh4 million per month but one thing they hate is publicity.
Kenyan bloggers understand that the government will jump to their case if they reveal their income numbers, they(bloggers) would do everything to ensure their income numbers are not revealed. Ideally, we have 20+ bloggers who make over Ksh 400,000 per month, more than 100 others make in excess of Ksh 100,000 per month. Shockingly, there are about 5 bloggers who earn upwards of Ksh1 million every month.
There is a perception out here that bloggers are poor, extortionists and mischievous. One thing I would like to reveal is that most successful bloggers are quiet, introverts, rich and decent. Forget about Alai, Itumbi and Nyakundi who are known for their controversial posts on Social media, there are bloggers who aren’t even known on Social media but are extremely successful.
Last year, one of my friends who doesn’t know much about blogging said this, “bloggers are beggars who live from hand to mouth, these guys make Ksh10,000 per month”, I just sympathized with him. I know her, she is a primary school teacher who earns Ksh 17,800 per month but she looks down upon someone who earns Ksh1 million per month. One thing I have learned is that Kenyans don’t understand who a blogger is, they think it’s that person who creates a Facebook page and starts attacking politicians. The fact is, bloggers are people who create useful content online which all of you consume. For instance, Venas News has created over 18,000 posts and most of the articles ranks at position 1 in Google, when you go to consult Google, the articles are fetched from Venas News, not Google. By the way, Google does not create content, the information comes from Bloggers.
Back to the main topic: last year I wanted to come up with a viral post about richest bloggers in Kenya, I contacted top bloggers in Kenya whom I know who make over Ksh500,000 per month. Out of the 15 bloggers I contacted, only 2 agreed that I reveal their names—I didn’t have a choice but to shelve my plans. What I am trying to say in this article is that there are rich bloggers in Kenya who make more than Ksh1 million per month but they don’t want their names to be revealed because of tax purposes and security issues.
Blogging is one of the sectors where one can make millions, behave as if they are poor and nobody will suspect they make handsome revenues online. I always look up to the likes of Pat Flynn who make in excess of Ksh 20 million per month, live modest lives but are less known by people who spend less time online. Such a person will walk past you and you’ll easily conclude that he is a nobody.
