Metha ya Kagoni: I have had to deal with fake people on my YouTube channel

Journalist Monica Kagoni founded Metha Ya Kagoni's YouTube channel in 2019. PHOTOS|POOL

What you need to know:

What you need to know:

  • Monica Kagoni, 35, started her YouTube channel in 2019 after getting fired from a TV Station
  • Today she boasts of more than 90k subscribers and 8 million views and has plans to start a digital TV

A month into her new job, things started getting clearer for 35-year-old journalist Monica Kagoni who goes by the screen name Metha ya Kagoni.

She realised that the new opportunity was like riding a bicycle with an uncertain wheel and if her former workplace was the proverbial "frying pan", she had got into the fire.

"I was working as a TV news reporter for a popular local TV station when I got word that an upcoming TV station was hiring. The news was timely because it came at a time when I was feeling frustrated at work," Metha who worked for Inooro TV before moving to Mt Kenya TV, says.

At Inooro, where she had worked for three years she had risen from a trainee reporter to a news reporter who was being entrusted to cover major events like the 2017 elections and its aftermath.

"Occasionally, I would be called upon to anchor the news. I was blossoming in my career but multiple attempts to get my terms of engagement reviewed including my pay had been futile. I was earning peanuts and I couldn't afford to meet most of my needs," she offers.

Journalist Monica Kagoni,35, is the founder of Metha Ya Kagoni's YouTube channel. She founded it in 2019. PHOTOS| POOL

It is around 7 am on a Monday when we are having this conversation. On days like today when she is going to work, Monica, a wife and a mother of two wakes up early to tidy up her house. Monica is among those who have tapped into the opportunities that the digital world has to offer. She is a YouTube content creator who goes by the name "Metha ya Kagoni." According to Omnicore, a marketing agency, there are more than 50 million content creators on YouTube worldwide.


Scoring online

Metha ya Kagoni stream currently has 90K subscribers and videos that have more than 8 million views cumulatively. She has two productions— Metha ya Kagoni which covers family, lifestyle, and health, and the 'Why are you single?' stream.

Her ability to remain professional while at the same time being empathetic, while following up a story subject from start to end, has endeared her to many online viewers.

"I remember looking at the numbers and for a moment, it was unbelievable. It has been a journey through which many sacrifices had to be made and lessons learnt. When I started in October 2019, I had a handful of followers, 236 to be exact," she offers.

Monica started her career in journalism with a radio broadcaster based in Muranga County then climbed her way up to one of the largest media houses in Kenya as a TV trainee reporter. "I was focused on my journalism career. Even though I had heard of digital platforms like YouTube, it is something that I did not ruminate about. Looking back, I was blinded by the fact that I was working for a big media house. I honestly could not see beyond its walls," she offers.

The shift started when she got an offer to work as a producer and run her own show in the new vernacular station. "I have always admired Oprah Winfrey, American show host so this was a dream come true. What's more, they gave me the go-ahead to do the naming. Metha ya Kagoni was birthed in 2018," she offers.

The show was well-received but there was one imminent problem- the media house was running low on funds and soon the management would back out from supporting the show's production. What's more, she says that the salaries started to delay and ultimately not coming altogether. "I think we were paid in full for only the first four months. It was a tough time for me. Here I was dealing with the pain that I had ruined my career and online cyberbullies who were up against me and my colleagues. "Why did you move from a well-established company to this? "You were all greedy for money," they admonished.


Fighting to survive

Even with the little salary, she was getting, Monica fought to stay put, if for nothing else but for her show which had gained some popularity. "I would draw from my savings, meet all production costs which totaled to about Sh60,000 every month for four shows. One day, one of my friends, Mutembei who runs Magical Kenya challenged me to start my own channel, showed me how to do it and that is how I went solo, copyrighted the name, and started sharing videos on YouTube in October 2019," shares Monica.

In retrospect, she observes, were it not for the firing, she wouldn't have taken the YouTube route. Her move was the right one.

She was able to monetise her account after generating the required 4,000 watch time and 1,000 subscribers in a month.

"Fun fact-before I decided to fully focus on my channel, clouded by the fear of what lay ahead, I pleaded three times with my former TV employer to take me back. It didn't materialise," she offers.

She shares that her husband Jimmy Kagoni has been supportive all through and even when things were not working, he gave her a hand. "He shares my trailers with his friends because he has a big network. The other person is my mum, I sit her down and show her the analytics. Then there's my good friend Carol Kinyugo from Inooro TV. She gives me referrals and at one point, she used to foot some of my financial needs," says Monica.

In May last year, while still working on my channel, I went back to the radio but this time as a promoter to supplement my income. However, after three months, I felt the urge to give the Metha ya Kagoni channel my full attention, so I quit. One month after I made the surprising move, I bagged my first advertiser, AMG realtors. Now, I am a journalist but also running a business. I refer to myself as a media owner because that's the dream I have – transforming the platform into a digital channel," she says.


Earning on YouTube

Her first month on Youtube saw her earn Sh2,136 which was nothing compared to the investment she was making. "The following month, I got Sh9,000 and it almost doubled in December. That was my reason to continue. Now, the channel has been able to buy me a good camera and microphones that I need so I don't spend the Sh60,000 anymore. I attribute the growth to the fact that I look at my audience's interests--anything to do with family from marital issues, domestic violence, succession, and health, I cover it. I package it in a way that it is captivating for the viewers," she offers.

While her channel has grown in popularity, it has also given rise to clout chasers. "This is one of the challenges that I face. Someone comes to you with a well-crafted emotive story but on doing background checks, it's fake. To counter that, I sometimes ask for referral letters from their religious leaders or chiefs. Another challenge is getting men who are willing to tell their stories. They go through a lot but don't want to talk," says Monica.

Her dream is to transform the channel into a digital TV with up to the hour content with a keen focus on those in the diaspora.

"I also want to bring more workmates on board," Monica who works with two contracted cameramen and a digital officer, says.

"It's a big dream but I have learnt the power of starting small, being authentic, and paying the price. And I am here for it," she concludes.


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