Over 1,300 young Kenyan creators drive booming online content economy

More than 1,300 young Kenyan creators participated in the Hook’d on Fresh digital campaign by The Coca-Cola Company through Sprite and Safaricom Plc, underlining the rapid growth of the country’s digital creator economy.

The campaign, which targeted university students and young digital talents, encouraged participants to create short-form content on TikTok and Instagram around music, fashion, basketball, comedy and youth culture.

According to the organisers, the creators generated more than 31 million views, 70,000 shares and 90,000 saves during the campaign period, with TikTok emerging as the leading platform for engagement.

Speaking during the awards ceremony, Coca-Cola Kenya Frontline Marketing Director Juliana Kituma said the campaign demonstrated the creativity and influence of Kenya’s youth.

“It’s That Fresh was created to meet young Kenyans where they live, play, create and express themselves. What we have seen throughout this campaign is the incredible confidence, humour, originality and cultural influence of Kenya’s next generation of creators,” said Kituma

The initiative rewarded 146 winners with Ksh.1.5 million in creator rewards and 600 gigabytes of data bundles.

Beyond entertainment, the campaign also included creator masterclasses and mentorship sessions focused on storytelling, audience growth, virality and digital monetisation. The training sessions were hosted in partnership with Safaricom Hook and featured leading Kenyan digital creators.

Safaricom Youth Segment Lead Susan Muthoka said the campaign highlighted how digital connectivity is opening economic opportunities for young people.

“Through Safaricom Hook and our partnership with Sprite, we have seen young Kenyans use their phones, their creativity and their communities to tell stories that travel far beyond campus,” said Muthoka.”

Among the standout participants was Evans Githinji, whose content generated more than 5.2 million views during the campaign.

“For me, Hook’d on Fresh was more than a challenge, it was a chance to show my creativity and see how far one idea could go,” said Githinji.