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The Kenyan skit comedy scene has grown exponentially in recent years, giving rise to some of the most recognisable content creators across digital platforms.
Among the comedians of this new wave were Wololo TV and Mayoyo, a duo whose chemistry quickly earned them a loyal fan base. However, like many partnerships in the creative industry, theirs ended in an unfortunate fallout.
Wololo and Mayoyo began their journey during the pandemic in 2020, a time when audiences were turning to social media for entertainment due to lockdowns.
At that time, the comedy scene was dominated by groups like Crazy Kennar’s crew, Seth Gor and his team among others.
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According to Mayoyo, Wololo was already a household name in the skit industry when they met.
Wololo is the one that has a beef with me, and let me put it clear, Wololo generally is not a bad guy. I met him and we started creating content in 2020 and that time it was Crazy Kennar versus Wololo. He was the leading and we used to listen to him, so we felt like there’s something he knew that we didn’t.
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Their collaboration seemed promising, with Wololo taking a leadership role and guiding the group through the formative stages of content creation.
When cracks began to show between Wololo and Mayoyo
Despite their early success, trouble was brewing beneath the surface. In an interview with media personality Shiksha Arora, Wololo revealed that the two began falling out quite early in their partnership.
“There’s some disagreements we had when we were starting with him in 2020 and we have never spoken again,” said Wololo. “Wakiingia mahali naeza toka niende,” he added, referring to how he would leave a room if Mayoyo walked in.
Wololo did not elaborate much on the specifics of their disagreement, choosing instead to remain diplomatic. “Both our perspectives were right,” he noted.
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The money issue
According to Mayoyo, the real fallout happened when money started flowing in from their content. He was then working closely with his elder brother, who also doubled as the cameraman for their skits.
After shooting a commercial, his brother requested their share of the payment, but Wololo allegedly responded that there was no money to share.
This exchange did not sit well with Mayoyo brother. Feeling disrespected and undervalued, he decided to step away from the group with his sibling.
Life after the split
Since their split, both Wololo and Mayoyo have gone on to build their own platforms independently. Each has carved out a distinct audience and continues to produce content that resonates with Kenyans across various social media platforms.
The Kenyan comedy scene has also evolved. Today, while individual creators dominate, collaborations still happen from time to time, especially when it comes to brand partnerships or viral trends.
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However, the days of tightly-knit skit crews seem to be slowly fading, as creators increasingly opt to maintain their brand identities.