Nairobi, Kenya, December 16- A letter has surfaced following President William Ruto’s claim that his government had already spent Ksh500 million to host the Grammys in Africa.
The letter, widely shared online, originated from an X (formerly Twitter) user with the handle @stillhafare. The user revealed they had emailed the Recording Academy, stating:
“Got bored so I emailed the Recording Academy about this.”
The email read:
Hi there @RecordingAcad, President Ruto of Kenya says that he has paid Ksh500 million (3.9 million dollars) to host the Grammys in Kenya. Please confirm this.
The Academy’s response clarified:
Re: Grammy Awards Being Hosted in Kenya Thank you for reaching out. The 2025 67th GRAMMYs will take place on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. We are a nonprofit organization. We do not take money from foreign governments. Best Regards, Recording Academy Membership Department.
Ruto’s Remarks
President Ruto had made the claim six days earlier during a town hall meeting, stating that his administration was preparing to host the event in 2027, referring to it as the “African Grammys.”
“The money for Grammys we already paid. We already paid Sh500 million, and I’m sure the gentleman from Grammys can confirm that this is the direction we are going,” Ruto stated, adding that representatives from the Grammys had attended the event.
The statement followed comments from Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy, who noted that the government had initiated plans to bid for hosting the World Creative Economy Conference in 2027.
“The President has already given instructions for us to begin bidding for the World Creative Economy Conference in 2027. To become the first African country to bring the world sector here because that will unlock the entire creative economy,” Itumbi said.
These claims sparked online discussions, leading one individual to directly seek clarification from the Recording Academy.
