This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
Kenyan businessman and music mogul Joe Kariuki has made a triumphant return to the scene, reviving his Amsha Mama Initiative Festival just weeks after being released from a Tanzanian jail.
Launched in December 2015, the Amsha Mama Initiative aims to empower women by organizing business workshops and exhibitions, providing them with essential skills to succeed in their endeavors.
During the launch in Naivasha, Kariuki announced a significant partnership between his company Candy and Candy and Palsunite Capital Ltd, a registered microfinance organization, to offer low-interest loans to address financial challenges faced by women, particularly those with small incomes.
The initiative will culminate in a mega convention concert dubbed 'Amsha Mama Festival' set to take place in September this year in Naivasha, where several artistes will perform, and women will showcase their business and crafts.
“Candy and Candy is back bigger than before. We rekindling the Amsha Mama Initiative that had been dormant due to the fact that I was incarceration,” Kariuki said.
Notably, Kariuki's return to the scene comes after he won an appeal against a seven-year sentence in a case where he was accused of defrauding a businessman. The sentence was overturned for lack of evidence, and he had served a year and seven months before his release.
Kariuki claims he was framed by the businessman in a deal gone sour, a claim that has sparked controversy in the business community.
Before his incarceration, Kariuki made a name for himself in the Kenyan music industry with his Candy and Candy Music label, which unfortunately closed down after three years due to poor returns. However, he has since diversified his business ventures, including events and real estates.
