Abdi Rashid Jibril

Under the direction of Abdi Rashid Jibril, Roots International has established itself as a musical curator/promoter of distinction in the East African market. The company hosted a weekly live music night in Nairobi Kenya called THURSDAY NITE LIVE (https://www.facebook.com/thursdaynitelive/) which ran from 2011-2019 for a period of eight years and featured over 400 concerts by local and regional bands/artists with audience size at its last year averaging 1,000 persons. The platform was recognized as one of the best live music platforms on the African continent in various publications. Under other brands, LIVE IN NAIROBI and COOL WATERS JAZZ & ROOTS FESTIVAL, Roots International has presented notable concerts featuring renowned national legends and international artists from around the continent and beyond at concerts held at diverse venues in Nairobi including National Museum’s Leakey Auditorium, Tribe Hotel, Tree House Nairobi, The Elephant, J’s Fresh Bar & Kitchen, Nairobi Street Kitchen, Alliance Francais Nairobi etc. Besides presenting Nairobi audiences with Africa and the world’s rich musical heritage, Roots International serves as a talent booking agent with a great network and relationships with artists both in Kenya and Africa wide. Clients have included AFD (French Development Bank), Proparco, Tribe Hotel, Ankole Grill, ICRAF (International Center for Agroforestry), Nyama Mama Westlands, Two Rivers Mall. The Harvest @ Village Market, Google KE, Lamu House Hotel etc. In the area of capacity building Roots International has offered workshops in event curation, management, career coaching, audience development contributing to the development of the music sector in East Africa.

Steenie Njoroge

Seasoned photojournalist and researcher with over 45 years experience in the Arts & Entertainment Industry.

Tobias ‘Shunkyz’ Odhiambo

With over 15 years of experience in audio engineering and music production, Tobias Ochieng Odhiambo, also known as Producer Shunkyz, specializes in African sound music genres. He is skilled in beat-making, mixing, mastering, sound design, live concert recording, and audio film production.

Nick Abonyo

Nick Abonyo is an entrepreneur and studio administrator overseeing artist relations and daily operations. With a background in Information Technology, he joined Ketebul Music in 2011 and became integral to projects like Singing Wells, Retracing Kenya’s Songs of Protest, and Shades of Benga. In 2014, he was part of the creative crew representing Kenya at the Smithsonian Festival in Washington, D.C. He is also involved in music promotion and event organization to support the creative industry.

Patrick ‘Sapat’ Ondiek

Patrick Ondiek is a passionate and skilled videographer based in Nairobi, Kenya, dedicated to

capturing compelling stories through the lens. With a deep appreciation for visual storytelling

and an eye for detail, he specializes in creating engaging and impactful content that resonates

with audiences.

His journey into photography and videography began during high school, where his passion

for the craft first took root. After graduating, he pursued formal training in college and later

co-founded Foxhole Entertainment with a group of school friends. The venture focused on

video production, studio recording, and providing PA equipment rentals for DJs, laying the

foundation for his career in the media industry.

In 2006, Patrick joined Ketebul Music, where he played a key role in developing the studio’s

video production capabilities. His love for music, influenced by artists like Joseph Kamaru

and Ochieng’ Nelly, deepened as he worked on the ‘Spotlight Series’ and the Singing Wells

Project—a transformative experience that allowed him to explore and document the rich

musical heritage of East Africa. Through these projects, he has had the privilege of filming

diverse music styles and uncovering the region’s deep-rooted cultural sounds.

As a project manager and video director at Ketebul Music, Patrick has the flexibility to

plan his annual projects while also taking on freelance assignments. This freedom has

enabled him to collaborate with various media outlets, building strong and lasting

relationships across the industry.

With a commitment to excellence and innovation, Patrick continues to push creative

boundaries, using the power of video to preserve culture, tell impactful stories, and inspire

audiences worldwide.

Martin ‘Drix’ Muyeshi

Martin Fredrick Muyeshi, better known as ‘Drix’ in the photography circles, learned photography at an early age from his father, John Muyeshi, who worked at the Voice of Kenya (VoK) as a Presidential Press cameraman. It soon turned into a passion. After earning his Diploma in Mass communication at the Thika Institute of Business Studies he joined the Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation’s Metro FM Radio as a Production intern from Jan 2006-June 2006.

With the experience he had gained at KBC he then moved on to Nation Media, where he joined the station’s celebrated investigative journalistsMohamed Ali and John Allan Namu  at NTV, working on their investigative feature documentary The Inside story, specifically the episode “Death in Ten Minutes” as a cameraman. In his free time he was freelancing as a music photojournalist/cameraman to gain more experience.

He also joined Royal Media Services’ Citizen TV where he worked on the TV programmes Tabasamu, Nairobi Law andMashtakaas a Director of Photography and a Lighting technician.

He later joined Ketebul Studio, where he went on to work on several studio projects, among them the studio’scompilation “retracing” series that include Retracing Benga Music, Retracing Kikuyu Popular Music, Retracing Kenya’s Funk Music, Retracing Songs of Protest and the book Shades Of Benga: The story of Popular Music in Kenya, to which he contributed his photos.

His work has also featured on Voice of America’s “Music Time In Africa” under the Host Heather Maxwell as well as the Singing Wells project, which focuses on archiving traditional music in Africa, among other projects.

Carola Daniel Amri Kinasha

A song writer, singer and a performer of popular afro-centric

compositions in which messages comprising of traditional,

pan Africanist and righteous activism are perpetuated to the

masses. Born in the early 60s in Longido, a small town

situated in Arusha Tanzania, Carola grew up as one of 8

siblings in a family deeply rooted into music and performing

arts, making it only natural that she took to her passion in

music. Graduating from the University of Dar es salaam with a

Bachelor of Arts Degree in international Relations,

implementing her activism through music in 1988 initially with

the Shadda Band became inevitable. Apart from respect and

popularity within and beyond the African continent, her work

has commanded numerous achievements not to mention

being awarded the MAA Africa Award 2000, being appointed

the Patron for the Umoja Cultural Flying Carpet Tanzanian

chapter, and being recognized as a pioneer of traditional

fusion music in Tanzania to name a few. From hosting the

Busara Festival in Zanzibar to staging performances

representing the Maasai, Tanzanian and African culture when

in Europe, England and the Americas, Carola Kinasha’s

musical pedigree has without a doubt placed her on a

pedestal of her own caliber. Up to date, Carola Kinasha’s

musical work includes but is not limited to Umoja, Nyakati,

and Maono in which she worked closely with bands like

Shada and Watafiti to name a few. Carola has also partaken in

collaborations the likes of Mseto Wahapahapa (a compilation

project in which she did Ujasiri), and the Maisha Compilation

(in which she did Dua La Kuku).