{"id":133301,"date":"2026-03-06T13:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-pledges-sh100mn-for-annual-concert-started-by-johanna-ngeno\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T13:03:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:03:56","slug":"ruto-pledges-sh100mn-for-annual-concert-started-by-johanna-ngeno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-pledges-sh100mn-for-annual-concert-started-by-johanna-ngeno\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto pledges Sh100mn for annual concert started by Johanna Ng\u2019eno"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAROK, Kenya, Mar 6 \u2014 President William Ruto has committed Sh20 million annually for the next five years to support an initiative started by the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng\u2019eno aimed at empowering artistes through concerts and creative industry events.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during Ng\u2019eno\u2019s funeral service in Narok County, the President said the Ministry of Sports will work with other relevant agencies to sustain programmes that promote artists and nurture Kenya\u2019s creative economy.<\/p>\n

Ruto made the pledge while recounting how the outspoken legislator persistently tried to reach him while seeking financial support for a major event for artistes.<\/p>\n

According to the President, Ng\u2019eno called him several times in a short span, something he said was unusual for the MP.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unusual for Ng\u2019eno to look for me that many times. He looked for me three, four times, and even more, until I knew there was a problem,\u201d Ruto said on Friday.<\/p>\n

The President told mourners that Ng\u2019eno had attempted to reach him about six times, prompting him to return the call to understand what the issue was.<\/p>\n

When he finally spoke to him, the MP explained that he had organised a major celebration for artistes in Eldoret expected to attract about 20,000 people.<\/p>\n

Ruto said the lawmaker informed him that the event had already been planned and was scheduled to take place within two days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked Ng\u2019eno, \u2018You are asking for Sh20 million and giving me only two days\u2019 notice. Where will I get that money from?\u2019\u201d the President recalled.<\/p>\n

Ng\u2019eno, however, responded saying he actually need Sh30 million to fund the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me, \u2018It\u2019s not Sh20 million, it\u2019s Sh30 million,\u2019\u201d Ruto added, drawing laughter from mourners.<\/p>\n

Sports ministry funding <\/h2>\n

The President said he eventually intervened and directed the Ministry of Sports to work with the MP to ensure the artistes received support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, I had to make several efforts and directed the Ministry of Sports to work with him so that the artists could be supported,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ruto described Ng\u2019eno as a passionate champion of creatives who had volunteered his time and energy to advance the welfare of artistes.<\/p>\n

He noted that the legislator remained committed to supporting the creative sector even in the days leading to his death.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he took up that responsibility and volunteered to help the artists, even at the time of his death he had gone to assist artists in Endebess. Johanna Ng\u2019eno deserves recognition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The President said the government\u2019s five-year commitment will help sustain initiatives that bring together artists and provide opportunities for them to showcase their talent.<\/p>\n

Ruto also praised Ng\u2019eno\u2019s dedication to public service, saying the late MP had made significant contributions to Emurua Dikirr Constituency and was widely known for the sacrifices he made for his people.<\/p>\n

He noted that the outspoken legislator had worked closely with the national government to advance development projects, including the establishment of technical training institutions.<\/p>\n

The President extended his condolences to Ng\u2019eno\u2019s family and the people of Narok County, saying the country had lost a bold and committed leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenya has lost a leader who was deeply committed to serving his constituents,\u201d he said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAROK, Kenya, Mar 6 \u2014 President William Ruto has committed Sh20 million annually for the next five years to support an initiative started by the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng\u2019eno aimed at empowering artistes through concerts and creative industry events. Speaking during Ng\u2019eno\u2019s funeral service in Narok County, the President said the Ministry of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133301\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}