In recent days, the spotlight has been on Kenyan rapper Stephen Otieno, popularly known as “Stivo Simple Boy,” due to his wife Grace Atieno speaking up about his financial struggles.
Stivo’s management also issued a press statement announcing their decision to sever ties with the singer of the hit song “Freshi Barida.”
During an interview with YouTuber Vincent Mboya, Grace Atieno revealed, “Stivo is currently not releasing any new songs because he is going through a lot and is hesitant to discuss it openly. We even struggle to afford food at times. He has no knowledge of his earnings from shows as the management takes everything. If you look at his accounts, you’ll see that he’s not receiving any money from them. I share his pain. He is suffering and has nothing. Although Kenyans assume he’s leading a comfortable life, that is not the reality.”
On Monday, June 26, 2023, Stivo’s management company, Men In Business, released an official statement expressing their decision to part ways with the artist. The statement affirmed their intention to terminate the contract in a legal and protocol-compliant manner. They notified Stivo of their withdrawal from the musical contract through the written notice.
Following the viral spread of Stivo’s story, several celebrities and businesspeople expressed their willingness to assist him. However, in an interview with The Standard, Stivo revealed that no one had actually reached out to offer support thus far. While Mulamwah contributed Ksh 5,000 and Stivo’s wife received Ksh 3,000, Stivo expressed disappointment, stating that others who claimed online to help did so merely for attention or “clout.”
When questioned about the possibility of people being unable to contact him, Stivo asserted that most of them hadn’t made genuine efforts to reach out. He emphasized that if there were truly compassionate individuals willing to assist, the specific things they needed were furniture for their home, support to establish businesses for both him and his wife, and potential sponsorship or brand partnerships.
Stivo expressed gratitude to his wife for being the first to recognize his financial difficulties and for making them public. He also mentioned encountering challenges accessing his social media accounts and shared that efforts were underway to recover the passwords and logins.
The “Haya Basi” singer expressed his willingness to find a dedicated manager who wouldn’t take advantage of him and could assist him with his music career.
Furthermore, Stivo disclosed his aspiration to establish his own foundation called the Simple Foundation, with a mission to assist orphans and those in need.
