For two years now, Nairobi County has been hosting a competition dubbed battle of choirs every Easter holiday, not only entertain city residents but also award the winners afterwards.
The competition was initiated by Governor Johnson Sakaja promising that the event was also to evoke the Easter holidays mood in the city.
The ultimate prize for the winning choir is Sh2 million,Sh1 million for the first runners up, and Sh500,000 for the second runners up, all sponsored by the office of the governor.
But the winners and judges of the 2024 competition now claim they are yet to receive the rewards, more than ten months after the event was held.
Last year, the winners were PCEA Kahawa Farmers Choir followed by St Peters Clavers Church and Ngomongo Ministries SDA church was third placed.
The three choirs now claim that after the event that took place between the March 31 to April 1,2024, they were never rewarded.
On January 9, 2025 the music directors from the three churches wrote a joint letter to the governor seeking to understand what could have caused the delays and why they have never received any communication.
“Our church management and members are inquiring about the disbursement of the awards as we have not received any communication regarding the payment,” the letter reads in part.
“We trust that this award was part of the commitment made to the winners of the competition. As directors of these churches, we kindly request that the award amounts be honoured and released,” they added
The choir directors said this will not only maintain the integrity of the competition but also protect the image of Nairobi County in its support of the cultural community events.
“We trust that your office will prioritise this matter and ensure that the funds are transferred promptly to the winning choirs as previously communicated,” they wrote.
