Kenyatta University came up top in the just concluded 94th edition of the Kenya Music festival that was held in Kisumu with a total of twenty trophies.
The institution was declared the best overall after defeating many other institutions and maintaining its supremacy in the festivals for the tenth year running.
KU won in the categories of own composition, instrumentals, quartet, own choice and university set pieces among others.
What carried the day was the rendition of Lucky Dube’s ‘Reggae Night’ where lovers of reggae stood up to applause under the Zilizopendwa category.
The choir director Mr Sylvester Otieno who also works in the Music department said that it took a lot of effort and coordination by the institution to create the new items annually and achieve great results.
“People tend to copy what we perform hence the need to change tack each time we appear,” said Otieno.
St. Ignatius Ishiri school from Busia County were the best overall in the African Dance category under Mrs Anne Murambi while The Nairobi School was top in the ensemble consisting of the woodwind and brass and Narok boys also did well topping in the Maasai dance category.
On the other hand, St. Josephs Rapogi won the Luo Folk Song category with Likoni Secondary carrying the day with a Mijikenda folk song while Mama Ngina Girls won in the Taarab category.
The annual festival has been on a two-year hiatus following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In attendance at the event was Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua represented President Uhuru and was out of the country at that moment.
The DP said that the government is committed to nurturing talent among students and the youth and that content creators had proved that the youth can earn a living through their talents and encouraged them to take arts seriously so as to develop themselves financially and socially.