Andrew Kibe: Inside the mind of an unforgiving media tyrant

The YouTuber started off by releasing short Facebook videos of him commenting, virulently so, on various everyday occurrences before he was snapped up by NRG Radio circa 2018 to host a radio show alongside his erstwhile buddy Kamene Goro.

Kibe's malignance, stone-cold character and unflinching hostility quickly won him fans and haters alike.

At NRG Radio, he expertly milked the public's thirst for his venom, curating himself into the malevolent star of a diabolically scripted apocalyptic thriller and exalting himself onto the vaunted position of Kenya's Mr. Cruel.

Armed with wicked brilliance and an avaricious ambition, Kibe ensured that his star couldn't be dimmed, as he delved deeper into touchy topics, publicly lecturing industry players as his minions celebrated.

In his world, no one was above the law. Everyone - from high-flying politicos and wealthy magnates to jet-set socialites and clumsy content creators - was game, and he could make minced meat of anyone who crossed his mind and disturbed his soul.

As his notoriety grew, so did his eminence. It was now time to leave his employer and he did so in classic Kibe fashion - rambunctiously.

At Kiss FM, where the duo found their new home, Kibe's star shone even brighter. There, he brought along an even meaner character intent on eviscerating everyone and sending shivers down the streets rising, very steadily, on the Kenyan radio totem pole.

If Kibe made you a topic of the day, you'd be sure he would disembowel you so cruelly, so viciously, you'd need a week to recover, at best.

Kibe's world was now becoming a kafkaesque commune of disgruntlement, rabid attacks, emotional chaos and intellectual confrontations.

Within three short years, Kibe had now become the unquestionable consigliere of Kenya's morning radio, single-handedly shifting the conversation and injecting a lethal dose into a normally bland morning commute.

Again, he would dramatically quit KISS FM, raising hell and breathing fire as he vowed to start his own radio which he aptly named 'Rogue Radio'.

But when 'Rogue Radio' failed to fly, the media galactico didn't falter instead rushing to YouTube where he really found his niche and created an impenetrable fortress from where he dispensed what his followers would like to describe as 'wisdom' with unfiltered honesty and unbridled brutality.

From Texas, USA, where he moved to after his stint in Kenya proved too problematic, Kibe kept the ruthlessness going, throwing daily shots at any and everyone and, time after time, coining slurs which have now entered the Kenyan urban lexicon.

'Lambistic', 'Kafukuswi', 'Kabahanye' and 'Nganuthia' are some of the few words that Kibe coined, specifically tailored to their respective topics and individuals.

From the US, Kibe fought them all - Bahati, Terence the Creative, Mike Sonko, Diana Bahati, Jalang'o, Shakilla, Presenter Ali, you name them.

Others may say he fought the entire female species, unapologetically rooting for the boy child with unfettered misogyny and alarming sexism. 

On YouTube, he successfully embodied his archetype, drawing in a staggering audience whose numbers shot up daily, pulling in millions of views and raking in massive bucks.

But even though he had found a home in his hordes of fans who affectionately call him 'Kifee', he still had a massive amount of haters and people he had wrongly spoken about - also, people intent on his downfall.

Three days ago, the YouTuber's channel, which had close to 500,000 subscribers and over 160 million views, was unexpectedly - and permanently - brought down with YouTube offering no explanation for that.

A defiant Kibe soon took to social media to express his confidence in new platforms and pooh-poohing the YouTube decision.

"Have been testing out the live feature on Yafreeka and I am confident we shall be going Live this Friday!" he said.

“Sign up there and start uploading your content. We are the content cartel! Meanwhile, catch me tonight same time here on X, Rumble, Instagram, and TikTok. The train left the station bruh!" 

For now, he may be trying to hide his despondence but one thing is for sure - like the proverbial Phoenix, Kibe will not only rise again but will do so with renewed vengeance and absolute grit.