Latest Top Influencers in Kenya (According To Research)
Last updated on December 8th, 2023 at 05:20 am
Kenya has seen the rise of a vibrant social media influencer culture over the past decade.
As connectivity increases across the country, Kenyans are increasingly turning to digital platforms and the influential voices that shape opinions and trends.
This article explores the evolution of Kenyan influencers, the types that people follow, the level of trust in their recommendations, and their impact on consumer decisions.
Table of Contents
Most Used Platforms for Following Influencers
Facebook continues to be the most widely used platform in Kenya, with 22.68% of people using it to follow influencers.
However, newer platforms like TikTok (16.95%) and Instagram (15.54%) are gaining popularity for their focus on short-form video and image content.
YouTube also retains a strong 17.95% user base among those following influencers.
Across these platforms, 45.29% of Kenyans follow more than 10 influencers, showing the depth of engagement with influencer content.
26.95% follow up to 5 influencers, while 25.94% follow between 5-9.
Types of Influencers Kenyans Follow
The survey found diverse preferences in terms of influencer types. Kenyans gravitate most towards celebrities like musicians and actors, with 23.08% following this group.
Journalists and media personalities also retain an influential 18.01% following.
Additionally, 16.2% follow experts in specific fields such as fashion design.
14.89% follow social media sensations who gain popularity online, while 14.2% follow regular social media users and 13.63% follow bloggers or vloggers.
Influencer Categories Resonating with Kenyans
Looking across influencer niche and content types, lifestyle influencers focusing on family and parenting topics lead with 18.17% of Kenyans following them.
Fashion is also influential at 15.84%, alongside tech at 15.26%.
Fourteen percent follow political influencers, while food influencers have 13.14% and travel influencers have 12.54% of the audience. Gossip influencers further entertain 9.17% of followers.
Trust in Influencer Opinions
The survey found a high degree of trust in influencers among Kenyans. 46.89% consistently trust influencer opinions and buy products/services based on their recommendations.
Another 47.96% trust influencers sometimes, depending on the context.
Only 5.15% expressed outright distrust in influencers.
Most Trusted Influencer Types
When asked who they find most believable, 23.71% of respondents singled out industry experts in specific fields like fashion design.
Journalists and media influencers followed closely with 23.27% saying they trust this group most.
Celebrities earned trust from 17.59%, while 13.41% found social media sensations most believable.
11.55% trusted regular social media users the most and 10.47% trusted bloggers or vloggers as most believable.
Read also: Forget YouTube, Can You Really Get Paid on TikTok in Kenya?
Influencer Impact on Purchasing Decisions
Underscoring their influence on consumer culture, 80.39% of survey respondents reported having purchased a product or service based on an influencer recommendation or advertisement.
This shows the depth of impact influencers have in driving real sales.
Reasons for Unfollowing Influencers
While approximately half of respondents have never unfollowed an influencer, the other half shared their reasons for cutting ties.
17.55% said losing trust was their motivation for unfollowing.
Another 16.75% cited an influencer becoming less relevant to their interests.
Offensive content and boring content led 16.58% and 14.82% to unfollow respectively.
Finally, 13.69% unfollowed over a shift away from topics they originally followed the influencer for.
Top Influencers in Kenya
When asked to name favorite influencers off the top of their head, Bahati led with 10.1% mentioning the musician.
Azziad followed at 9.6%, alongside Diana Bahati at 7%, Crazy Kennar at 6%, Eric Omondi at 5.8%, and Njugush at 5.4%.
Other popular influencer mentions included Andew Kibe, Abel Mutua, Thee Pluto, Size 8, Flaqo, Akothee, Ajib Gathoni, Vera Sidika, and Churchill. This list showcases the diversity of personalities engaging Kenyan audiences.
Top 15 influencers in Kenya
| Influencer | %Mention | |
| 1 | Bahati | 10.1% |
| 2 | Azziad | 9.6% |
| 3 | Diana Bahati | 7.0% |
| 4 | Crazy Kennar | 6.0% |
| 5 | Eric Omondi | 5.8% |
| 6 | Njugush | 5.4% |
| 7 | Andrew Kibe | 4.0% |
| 8 | Abel Mutua | 3.9% |
| 9 | Thee Pluto | 3.7% |
| 10 | Size8 | 3.6% |
| 11 | Flaqo | 3.6% |
| 12 | Akothee | 3.3% |
| 13 | Ajib Gathoni | 3.3% |
| 14 | Vera Sidika | 3.2% |
| 15 | Churchill | 2.9% |
Key Takeaways
The influencer landscape continues evolving rapidly in Kenya. As connectivity increases, international platforms like TikTok gain hold for video content while traditional outlets like Facebook retain ubiquity.
Kenyans follow ten or more influencers on average and find celebrity, media, and industry expert voices most believable.
Perhaps most telling is the 80.39% of survey respondents who’ve purchased products or services based on influencer marketing.
This demonstrates the depth of influence on consumer buying decisions. While some unfollow influencers over diminished relevance or trust issues, they continue playing a central role in youth culture and consumption trends countrywide.
Source: GeoPoll.com
