“Church is where the money is. Musicians will follow it there.”

These are the words of Lenga, former bandleader of O Rangers, the official band of 9KR, a KDF infantry force domiciled at Moi Barracks in Eldoret.

Jabulani Radio had sought his insights on the evolution of Kenya’s military bands, but in the course of the conversation, the discussion veered into the broader subject of music, its consumption, and its shifting fortunes. Lenga, who had led O Rangers for years, explained that the band folded after military sponsorship dwindled. Among the reasons for the reduced sponsorship were changing trends in how people consume music.

In the 1970s and 1980s, live bands were the heartbeat of entertainment joints, pulling crowds eager for authentic performances. Today, however, many such joints have been redesigned with European League football matches as the main attraction. Technology has also transformed the landscape. One no longer needs to attend a concert to watch their favorite musician. YouTube has brought the performance to every phone screen.

Yet, Lenga emphasized, the one surviving thread that live concerts hang on is authenticity. Another dedicated rumba fan, Emmanuel Ekakoro, for instance, will still go out of their way to attend a live show not just for the atmosphere but because studio recordings rarely capture the elusive signature of the musician. Most tracks today are heavily programmed by computer software, stripping away the artistry, luster, and spontaneity that once defined great performances.

Despite these challenges, Lenga believes all is not lost. While nightclubs are shrinking as revenue streams for musicians, churches are opening up new opportunities. A skilled guitarist can earn more in a weekend playing in church than in a secular concert. He noted that the gospel industry has transformed. In the past, choirs thrived on vocal harmonies, later accompanied by keyboards. Today, many churches prefer full live bands. This demand has made secular musicians some of the most sought-after performers on weekends, often playing at multiple services for lucrative pay. The better the band, the more attendees a church attracts. Some contemporary churches also stream their services online, further amplifying musicians’ reach and visibility.

This shift partly explains the exodus of many top secular musicians into the gospel world. Big names such as Bibiley Kabakaba, a guitar legend with Les Kinois in the 1970s and 80s, have crossed over. Shango Lola, formerly of Boma Liwanza, is thriving in gospel, and so is Bwamy Walumona, the Les Mangelepa veteran now based in Norway.

Many churches hire professionals who aren’t necessarily church members for their music teams, creating a new demand for talent. Given the nature of competition, with every church struggling to outdo the other in a stiff competition for worshippers, this means several of these musicians who are good enough have to shuffle between several churches in a weekend, and the churches also pay well in a bid to retain them.

When giving the interview, Lenga was coming from a local KAG church, where he is hired to play guitar. He said the venture is lucrative. Whereas some musicians quit secular music for good, some juggle between secular and gospel. When I asked him why not convert to gospel music for good, his response was that recorded music, whether gospel or secular, isn’t as sought after as live performances.

But the thirst for authentic beats is not confined to the church. Fans are increasingly turning away from stations and online platforms that churn out digitized, computer-driven content and gravitating toward outlets that preserve older, rawer genres. Stations that play rumba, reggae, taarab, makossa, benga, and other traditional sounds are registering growing listenership, often at the expense of those pushing glossy, computerized hits.

Stations like Jabulani Radio, which deliberately avoids most contemporary content in favor of authentic African music, are gaining ground even among demographics that were previously disinterested. It is no longer strange to hear a teenager singing along to a rumba or benga track, something that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.

The adjustments in music creation and consumption continue, but one reality remains unchanged: the thirst for raw musical talent. It may bend under technology and changing tastes, but it never breaks.

By Jerome Ogola

Jabulani Radio

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