Mombasa County’s Studio Mashinani has benefited more than 50 ambitious creative talents from the coastal region, to expand self-employment opportunities for artists in the thriving music industry.
Studio Mashinani is a government initiative through the Ministry of ICT that aims to bring recording studios closer to the grassroots providing access to talented youths in their local communities.
Studio Mashinani’s idea was conceived in 2016 and finally sprang into action in 2021.
The studio Mashinani project falls under the umbrella of the Ajira Digital Program, which offers innovative digital solutions to address youth unemployment in Kenya on a large scale.
During an exclusive interview, Maureen Mwikali, the Producer and Head of Studio Mashinani in Mombasa explained that Studio Mashinani endeavours to support aspiring young artists who face financial constraints offering them a free production service and guidance to foster their talent and creativity.
She explains, “We aim to aid talented youth who lack the means for their production, providing free production services and nurturing their abilities. Many of our talented youth come from poor backgrounds and cannot afford the cost of producing and recording their music or other creative content.”
Studio Mashinani’s presence is felt within the country as they already have nine fully operational studios in different counties in Kenya. They include Kisumu studio, Kitui studio, Gatanga studio in Murang’a, two studios in Lang’ata Nairobi, Mombasa studio, and Komarock studio in Machakos.
However, there are plans to extend far beyond their current reach. The Ministry is actively striving to establish Studio Mashinani in all 47 counties.
For any youth with talent willing to come and work with them, Maureen advised that they should visit Ajira portal www.ajiradigital.go.ke and register for the program.
She explains, “To gain access, individuals must provide their Kenyan identification (ID) for verification, once successfully enrolled, individuals can utilize their personal accounts to secure sessions with studio Mashinani aligning their preferences with the nearest studio location.”
In Mombasa, the program has already made a significant impact, benefiting over 50 youths from individual tracks to complete albums.
In her plea to the government, Maureen requested the Government to check on the understaffing constraints in Mombasa’s studio Mashinani stating that they are only two in the studio and they have to manage a daily booking.
She also said that there is only one studio in the coastal region and that is the Mombasa Studio Mashinani.
“We have people coming from Taita Taveta, Kilifi, and Kwale,” highlighting the demand for Studio Mashinani from neighboring counties.
She urged the government to speed up and extend to other counties so that more youths can benefit from the program.
Abubakar Ramadhan, a beneficiary of the Studio Mashinani in Mombasa, was grateful to the government of Kenya for coming up with such a facility.
“I am grateful to the government for considering our talented youth. I am an artist who enjoys singing a range of R&B songs, I have talent, but I am not financially able to afford a producer, as the cheapest ones will cost you 5,000. So far, here at Studio Mashinani, I have recorded four songs for free,” Ramadhan said.
Ramadhan, also known by his stage name Caducci Soz, stated that he learned about Studio Mashinani through a friend, so he wasted no time and applied through the portal, where he was given the opportunity.
He noted that the response he received from Naaman Odunga, Instrumentalist and Assistant producer, and Mwikali was very friendly, pushing the brilliant youth to take advantage of this opportunity and showcase their talent.
The creator of ‘All of Me’ asserted that in addition to Studio Mashinani producing their songs, they also promote them on KBC and Pwani FM. He expressed his emotional moment, recounting tears shed upon hearing his song played on the radio for the first time.
Mwikali is actively encouraging talented youth from the Coast region to showcase their abilities and apply through the portal, aiming to empower them to succeed in life by leveraging their talents.
By Abdulrahman Allui and Mauta Jackie
