This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
On October 31, 2019, actress Catherine Kamau took to social media to express her displeasure with the Kenya Film Commission's 9th edition of the Kalasha Awards, for which she was nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie Plan B.
The actress was unhappy with the decision to engage the public in voting for their favourite candidates through the StarTimes ON App, which was made possible by a partnership between the Kenya Film Commission and StarTimes Kenya.
According to the Kenya Film Commission, the partnership aimed to open a broader market for local filmmakers to showcase their talent and ensure that their content could traverse borders, exerting a great sphere of influence in the region.
However, Catherine Kamau saw it differently, accusing the organisers of taking advantage of actors who would be acting as influencers for the StarTimes ON App.
She questioned, 'Wait! So Kenyans MUST download this app to vote??? @kenyafilmcomm,'
Responding to her tweet, @QueenGathoni stated, 'First of all, the film awards we have in this country have never been for the artist. We are basically sold to the highest bidder! It’s about who has the money and nothing else!'
Catherine Kamau replied, 'This is taking it abit too far, so basically we are @StarTimesKenya app influencers??? Nijikute!!'
