Good morning everyone.

I posted this as a sidenote, and it's very important for anyone to understand that I'm no longer pissed about it, just feeling some typpa way. It's going to be a long thread because that's just how I am

So it all starts here
https://twitter.com/Xiaomi_Kenya/status/1284139806805708802?s=19 https://twitter.com/lewis_ngunyi/status/1290737482020126720

Xiaomi started a competition dubbed #XiaomiMVP and they were looking looking to get an "official host for their show"

A friend shared with me on Instagram via DM. I was idle a few days later so I was like, whatever mehn, might as well.

Like I said, there wasn't too much in it.
I'd secured a pretty decent long term contract that meant there was no way I was leaving Nanyuki anytime in the next year or so.

Even kairetu was all, "I'm going going to share the video all over" and I told her it wasn't necessary.

Regardless, I'm not one to brush off opportunities without seeing if it could be done remotely. It's a show, after all. But then I remember Xiaomi is a huge company yes, but without any solid media infrastructure so I asked one Rama from Xiaomi about it and he responded.

So Monday (the proposed deadline) came and I hadn't heard anything from them so I assumed it was done and didn't think much of it, although you guys were all over my video on twitter and I loved the dopamine shot when anyone said something nice about my video regardless

Saturday, July 25th, I receive a text on whatsapp, congratulating me "for making it to the finals"

Like I said, this wasn't a priority to me at all. It was dependent on my having time to squeeze. I was in Nanyuki. Sorted my Monday out and I was all set to go.

Also, I was off the back of some really tough months (covid szn is hard) and have been doing some side hustles here and there. I didn't have the money to travel to Nairobi but I was owed a few thousands here and there that I was able to quickly put together.

So Monday, 27th July, I leave Nanyuki for Nairobi. I have expressed my hatred for Nairobi before in every single medium of communication available to me. It's too noisy, too hot, too crowded, too fast-paced, too dangerous for me, but I digress.

I got to the big city and went on a spending spree because I had to get ready for the "one on one meeting"

Below is a screenshot of my expenditure that day. Had to squeeze in the last one ndio muone vile God happened the very next day

Fare from Nanyuki to Nairobi was a whole 800/- and I had to be on a matatu back by 6pm latest if I was to beat the curfew. But a price to pay for all good things, yeah?

I think this is the point where I clearly state why I went for the meeting in the first place

I've always been fascinated by the idea of TV and radio. I've wanted to have a show of my own for the longest time really, but I've never really gotten behind the production schedule and cost. I just wanted to have a show. It wasn't even the money. Just the show

And I understood very well that even though I stood an extremely good chance, the competition would be equal to the task and probably even hungrier. Like any other meeting, I knew I would either get it or not, and I was okay with whichever result.

I walked into the Xiaomi offices at exactly 1:52pm. There was already a small crowd of young people there, smartly dressed. I counted at least 11 people by the time I got there. At the back of my mind, I'm doing my 6pm countdown. I'd have to go first, I thought to myself.

Then it hits me that the one on one meeting is probably auditions. I can see some lady at the lounge going through her notes, cramming stuff. This is going to be a madness! I don't panic - I'm impeccable at my shit

So Rama walks in and calls to us. We are handed new face masks (thank God) and some pretty awesome Xiaomi pens. He says we shouldn't panic and that we're all already part of the Xiaomi family. That's what I would call a pink flag, my friends.

We're taken through the Xiaomi products by the Xiaomi team. Heh! Let me terr you Maina! Si guys took notes

We were all cramming for this test. I'm calm. Tech stuff is my forte. My favourite YouTube channels are MKBHD, Unbox Therapy, Mrwhosetheboss, LTT and the like. I'm fine

So we get to play around with their equipment, yadda yadda and we were done. Rama called us back to the lounge area and we're all like, "it's about to go down"

Spoiler alert, it really was about to go down

My guy Rama graciously introduces us formally to the order of the day (quite the gentleman, I must add). Then he proceeds to tell us that, "the Xiaomi cake is big" and that instead of one, they'd decided to bring all of us on board.

The pink flag gets darker

So I'm thinking, as what? Correspondents? How big is this show? Are they launching their own TV network? Okay Xiaomi, you have my attention.

"Now because you're all very creative people, we want you to suggest how you want us to engage you"

And I remember clearly, writing on my notebook to one of my fellow contestants, "dis sum bullshit"
I didn't even know her, up until then
She nodded.

Kenyan youth are hungry for opportunity. And guys are ready to carve out space for themselves when opportunities present themselves. Especially if you're new to an industry.
I know this pattern, I've seen this pattern, and I know how it ends.

You give your ideas and after a month, your advertisement concept is on TV with a celebrity and a whole new team leading the campaign.

I stood there in silence as Rama reached for a notebook and started scribbling ideas that people were too eager to share.

He said they were looking for content creators to create Xiaomi-related content and they would be paid per purchase made on the links they would put on their videos.

In other words, ladies and gentlemen, they were looking for affiliate SALES AGENTS in commission basis!

This is even going to be one line.

NOW I'M PISSED!!

So I raise the issue of the show with Rama and he sidesteps it by bringing up the, "we want to engage everyone instead of just one person" story.

And I promptly inform him that I've travelled all the way from Nanyuki for a 1 on 1 meeting or audition. Not this.

The room immediately erupts.
The guys who had been quiet all along were also thinking about this.

So now there's 2 sides.
The ones who want to "seize the opportunity" and then there's us who've been through the mud before and know what this is.

After insisting on my inconvenience (I've travelled from Nanyuki and I feel like this change could have been communicated on whatsapp) I'm promised transport reimbursement to calm me down. It works...almost

So now I start asking questions. There's nothing to lose, yk. Might as well.

I raise the issue of content creators' energy in making the video. Very few Kenyans watch a video and then go, "Ha, let me click on this link and buy immediately"

90% of People see a phone, take time saving, then walk into a shop months later and buy it. And it was all due to the content creator who made that video in the first place. How do they compensate that value? No response.

So the day comes to an end,
Everyone is pissed. Well, not everyone, but everyone who had seen through the b/s.

Oh yeah, I was given 500 Bob as my "reimbursement" but I won't dwell on that.

Xiaomi made a call for "Hosts" kumbe whole time they were looking for affiliate SALES AGENTS on commission basis and there was NO SHOW at all!!

The agreement was that we could run our proposals by the Xiaomi team anytime to see how we could work with them but

Testimonials from friends I made that day

I would invite @Xiaomi_Kenya to challenge my story. As well as anyone who knows/was there when that happened.