Nigerian singer Davido performs during Raha Fest at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi on March 30, 2024.
On New Year’s eve, as Nairobi’s skyline lit up with fireworks to welcome 2025, chaos brewed outside the gates of Uhuru Gardens.
Groups of young Kenyans, emboldened and unrelenting, gathered at the venue, buzzing with anticipation. Their plan was simple: overwhelm security, force their way in and enjoy the concert for free. On social media, this behaviour has come to be known as “occupying”.
And this growing trend of concert occupations has left organisers, artists, and paying attendees grappling with the fallout.
In interviews with Nation.Africa, some of the “concert occupiers” provided insight as to why and how they managed to gain access into concert venues.
“If we managed to storm Parliament then what is a small event?” says Peter, a 21-year-old occupier from Kayole who attended Raha Fest but prefers to be identified by one name. He is referring to the storming of Parliament on June 25 last year by youth-led protesters, who were against President William Ruto’s tax plan.
Peter and his friends organise through both online and offline means, learning of these efforts through WhatsApp groups and social media platforms like TikTok, X and Instagram.
“We didn’t have money and wanted to have a good time in the new year. So we planned with a few of my friends to go to the concert and find our way inside. We also saw online people calling for us to occupy the event,” he says.
Nation Africa was also able to review posts on social media where revellers called for different concerts to be “occupied”.
'Organised gatecrashing'
Stampedes, gatecrashing and crowd unruliness are not new in the history of Kenyan entertainment events — be it sports or music concerts. However, the advent of gatecrashing of events being organised online means presents a new dimension to the age-old element of managing crowds at events.
Last year saw significant growth within Kenya’s event sector, with new concert venues being launched, local artistes consistently selling out tickets and renowned international acts such as Jamaican dancehall star Sean Paul performing within the country. Industry players, however, see negative instances like the occupation threatening to overshadow the progress made by the industry but are also emblematic of the shortcomings of certain players in the industry.
Singer/Songwriter Dan Aceda says: “We have a case where a handful of events suffered this fate and they will generate a lot of conversation amongst audiences but they don’t represent the range of event experiences in Kenya.”
He added: “At the end of the day, it is organisers that bear the responsibility. The reason certain groups will mobilise to come to the event is because they know they can overpower the security, which ultimately is the organisers prerogative.”
In 2024, Raha Fest and Walkertown serve as the most high-profile examples where this behaviour manifested, significantly impacting consumers who would then go ahead to express their frustrations online.
They were, however, not the only events where crowd management proved to be an issue for organisers. Uncle Waffles, and Furaha City Festival were other events that were documented to have security troubles, which would then go to be widely commented on online.
Paying concert goers blame event organisers for lax security and the occupiers for their actions.
“I arrived and found people trying to occupy the event (Raha Fest) and it became impossible for me to enter. I feel bad because how come I’m not able to enjoy value for my money because people decided to occupy?” says Wangui, a frustrated concert goer who paid full price only to find herself crammed at the overcrowded gate at Rahafest with Teargas ringing in the air. “Once the teargas was lobbed at us, I immediately ran away from that place. It wasn’t safe.”
Some event organisers say they have a hard time dealing with “occupiers”. Raha Fest’s organisers even singled them out in a statement they released on January 1, 2025. “We have observed a growing trend of some Kenyans exhibiting entitlement towards events. They believe they should not buy tickets and are deliberately willing to “occupy” events.
Despite the security breaches that occurred at the event with revellers storming the venue, the Raha team insist their security went according to plan: “Our security personnel did not fail us, our security plan did not fail us.”
Some of the “occupiers”, however, see things differently. They feel that the high pricing is locking them out of such experiences.
“The prices are too expensive. In other countries the same artists' concerts are cheaper,” says Joseph, another occupier from Langata, who also prefers to be referred to by one name.
He added: “The artists also matter, when Rema (a Nigerian artiste) came I had to go, same thing for Shenseea (a Jamaican artiste). We don’t have money but many of us still want to enjoy ourselves.”
They consider the move to occupy a certain concert to be fun and when they succeed, they often consider it as a victory, a memorable moment they shared with their friends.
Curious turning point: Do the Gen Z protests of June have anything to do with it?
What started off as a mass protest against an unpopular Finance Bill may have led Kenya’s youth to develop an unexpected muscle in organising each other in a leaderless fashion towards things they care about. Something that those who seek to occupy point to. “Definitely maandmano (protests) showed us that there is strength in numbers, if we’re many we can get what we want.” Says Peter.
Dr Joyce Nyairo, a cultural analyst and the author of ‘Kenya@50: Trends, Identities and the Politics of Belonging,’ says that there is a correlation between the political organising carried out by Gen Z and how they “occupy” some events.
“In 2024 there was a spark that and a moment of realisation that the youth can organise online behind their keyboard and take their actions offline as well. This is yet another example of that. Protest is an act of transgression and what is youth if not a stage of transgression,” she says.
She adds: “Consider also the economic platform, many of these young people say that these experiences matter to them but they’re priced out of it. It then becomes no surprise that they end up calling for the event to be occupied.”
She further states that political context does count when it comes to such actions: “This type of behaviour isn’t new, but actions also don’t occur in a vacuum and the political moment the country is in also needs to be considered when such behaviors emerge. With their actions they’ll force a conversation among stakeholders of what needs to change or be considered within the industry.”
Dan Aceda also acknowledges that this does represent an evolution in the problem of gatecrashing but insists that organisers still bear responsibility to ensure adequate security.
“It shouldn’t be that whether audiences decide to storm your event or demonstrate at your event, then you’re dead in the water. It means that you have to be more prepared,” he says.
While paying event goers acknowledge that there has been a rise in ticket prices for concerts in Kenya over the past year, they do not agree with how the occupiers deal with their desires.
“I can’t sympathise with the occupiers because there are better things you can occupy.” says Wangui.
“Organisers also matter. From now on I’ll stick to the events with a good reputation.”
As the events industry braces for another year, with high profile acts such as Nigerian superstar Burnaboy already confirmed, the question looms: What’s the solution to this problem?
“This is not just about prices or security. It’s about infrastructure, the venues that we use to host concerts were not built for that purpose. You’ll also notice that many of the places where events are held are government owned. That’s a significant factor,” says Dan Aceda.
He adds, “Events are disruptive to communities, involve them, don’t parachute into an area and just expect that community not to come knocking at your door, engage them and don't be extractive. Finally, security and police are 2 different things.”
