Despite amassing over 500,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, comedian Henry Desagu, also known as Ithagu Kibicho, appears to be facing a decline in his popularity as his fan base wanes.
Recent observations on Desagu’s YouTube page reveal a struggle to attract significant views to his recent uploads, with many videos receiving less than 20k views. This is a stark contrast to just four years ago when the comedian from Mwihoko could effortlessly garner millions of views on a single video. However, it is evident that he has failed to sustain this level of engagement. Many speculate that his decline began when he started prioritizing advertisements over the content that initially propelled him into the limelight.
In a celebratory post from four years ago, Desagu joyously announced reaching the milestone of 500,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, expressing gratitude to his fans for their unwavering support since he launched the channel in 2016.
“Glory to God and Big Thanks to everyone for Huge Support. Finally, we have more than 500K SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE. It has been a long journey, and big thanks to everyone who made it successful, from my behind-the-scenes crew, actors and actresses we have worked together, Clients we have worked together, my family and friends. God bless you Always. Now Let’s dare dream of a Million Subscribers. Watch the Journey Video now on Youtube???????? Nawapenda asaana #Desaguat500K #Desagujourney #youtube #Roadto1Million,” Desagu expressed in his 2020 post.
Since 2020, Desagu has accumulated a total of 674,000 subscribers and has uploaded 510 videos.
Desagu rose to fame in 2016 when his name was synonymous with fighting sponsors and advocating for the rights of Team Mafisi.
During an interview with the Standard, Desagu shared that the concept of Team Mafisi Sacco was born out of the increasing number of sponsors.
“I have friends who lost their girlfriends to sponsors. I decided to create a resistance unit to serve as a voice for the boy-child. The objective was to stop these old guys from preying on our girls,” he said.
When asked if being a comedian pays, Desagu mentioned, “It does pay for those who are patient. See, your earnings as an online comedian depend on the number of subscribers you attract. To earn a decent pay, you have to merge YouTube earnings with product endorsements.”
