Kenyan comedian and content creator Crazy Kennar got an unexpected photo opportunity with President Paul Kagame on Monday, August 24, during a press conference at the Kigali Convention Centre.
Kennar, whose real name is Kennedy Odhiambo, had joked about his father’s belief that content can take people places and said he wanted a photograph with Rwanda’s president to prove the point. Kagame responded with a laugh: "I’ll give you two.”
Kennar introduced himself by explaining how his comedy draws from everyday life. Kagame replied, "I’m as crazy as you,” before engaging with the creator.
Kennar said he had visited Rwanda to better understand how audiences perceived him, finding that some viewed him as a father figure. Watching Kagame resolve an issue in real time, he said, reinforced that impression.
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From actuarial science to comedy
Kennar began making short comedy videos while studying actuarial science, a field focused on using mathematics and statistics to assess financial risk, at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
The 27-year-old has since built a following of more than 6.56 million people across social media platforms.
His recent work has focused on shared African experiences, using humor to highlight differences in culture, money, travel and everyday life across the continent.
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One of his currency-themed skits comparing African countries gained millions of views across YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram. The video used exaggerated reactions to explore inflation, currency exchange and the different value of money across countries.
He followed it with videos such as "Clubbing in Different African Countries” and "Different African Countries Reacting to Blackout,” which play on regional habits and popular culture, from Nigerian social energy to South African amapiano and East African nightlife.
Other skits, including "Immigration Officers Treating People Differently Based on Passports” and "How African Governments Hustle for Funds,” turn familiar frustrations with travel and public institutions into comedy.
For viewers, the appeal is in the recognition. Kennar’s videos often take situations familiar to African audiences and exaggerate them enough to invite laughter while keeping the underlying experience recognizable.
One of my personal favorites, "Whites Doing a Documentary About Africa,” also uses satire to play with how the continent is portrayed from outside.