Kabuda: From Kasarani matatu tout to TikTok heavyweight

Popular content creator and dancer Andy Shahonyo, popularly known as Kabuda, has opened up on his rise to stardom, nine years after he joined the matatu industry as a tout.

Kabuda, a native of Kasarani, credits God with all the success he has enjoyed over the last one year, reiterating that, were it not for God's grace upon his life, he would never have found the immense fame and fortune he currently enjoys.

While speaking to Citizen Digital, Kabuda also heaped praise on his mother who he says nurtured him from a young age, encouraging him to pursue his dreams and remain steadfast in his pursuit of creative success.

"My mother is my rock. She's my everything and that's why I tagged her along. In fact, I made her my manager. She saw the talent in me while I was still little and has always encouraged me along the way. I also credit my grandfather for how far I've come, as he's now become my biggest fan and has continued to encourage me along the way," he said.

While reminiscing on his days as a tout, plying the Kasarani – Nairobi CBD route, Kabuda says that his days as a 'donda' moulded him into the man he has become, adding that his comedic exploits began while still in the matatu industry.

"I was a matatu tout for seven years before venturing into content creation," he says. "Even though I was a tout, I would still create content and entertain commuters as I would dance for them in the minibus on our way to or from town. I just wasn't recording and posting it then, but the creative bug has always been in me."

Speaking about his rise to fame, Kabuda credits a video he did while dancing along to the popular 'Mzabibu' song, saying that the video opened doors for him and launched his content creation career.

"I was just chilling at my friend's place when I stumbled upon the Mzabibu dance challenge," he says. "I then decided to jump onto the challenge and post the video. I had not even planned on doing it shirtless, it just happened and people fell in love with my video. I went from less than a hundred views to a matter of a million views in a few hours. I can confidently say that's the video which launched my career. "

Kabuda continued to credit the Lord's favour on his career, saying that he didn't have any special skills which would make Kenyans fall in love with him - it was all the working of the Lord.

"I'm a born-again church-goer," he said. "I have been a church member for as long as I can remember. I worship at Jesus Winner Ministries in Roysambu and that's my family. I credit my rise to the Lord, not to myself or my talent. And that's why I neither drink nor smoke. All I do is create content and go to church to worship the Lord."

The influential content creator has now been approached by several leading brands to help market their products and has featured in numerous Kenyan music videos as a male vixen, but focusing on the comedic aspects of the video.

"My dream collaborator has always been Mejja and I've worked with him. I have a lot of other Kenyan artists I would love to work with, but Mejja has always been number one as far as people I wish to work with are concerned," he says.

The dancer, who also doubles up as a food influencer, says that creating content is not always easy and that, sometimes, one may not achieve the desired results.

"You may do a video hoping it will capture the audiences but then it fails to impress your fans. It also fails to generate views. This can be very disappointing but you've gotta keep working on the craft until you get it right. Also, it takes a lot to create one video and share with fans... It's not always a quick fix thing," he said.