Ugandan celebrity boxer and entertainer Shakib Cham has found himself in the crosshairs of“ On X”and TikTok after claiming he cannot name a single female musician from Kenya. In a brief post shared across his social media pages, Shakib wrote:“Never heard of any female artist in Kenya, though.” The comment triggered an immediate and fierce backlash from Kenyan music fans, many of whom felt betrayed given their recent support for him.
Just weeks prior, rallied behind Shakib during the Vurugu 2 Boxing Challenge, celebrating his TKO victory over Kenyan artist Arrow Bwoy—who had infamously cracked an egg on Shakib’s face during their weigh-in. Commenters were quick to remind the Ugandan star of Kenya’s biggest female powerhouses, including Arrow Bwoy’s ex-partner Nadia Mukami, Akothee, and Sanaipei Tande. Netizens did not hold back, with many attributing Shakib’s entire public profile to his high-profile relationship with Ugandan socialite Zari Hassan.
Social media users flooded his comment section with fiery responses:“The same way we supported you, we can triple that to fight you online. Be guided, Ben 10 wa Zari.” “Even we didn’t know you until Zari took pity on you and married you.”
While some observers suspect Shakib posted the controversial statement to drum up online engagement, Kenyan fans have made it clear that poking fun at the country’s music industry comes with heavy digital consequences.