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For some Kenyan celebrity couples and content creators, fame and success in social media is built collectively.
Sharing photos, videos and vlogs of their daily lives, many couples have built established following on various social media platforms that are either shared or jointly owned by virtue of these relationships.
The reality and risk of mixing modern relationships and digital connectivity is a lesson many have learnt the hard way, going by a number of cases that have made news.
A number of female celebrities have found themselves grounded with no option but to rise again after breakups in which the people they dated take control of their accounts.
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Consequences and what it takes to rise again
Losing access to social media platforms means losing one’s digital footprints and content that have taken years of hard work to make and no content creator wishes to be in this space.
Even though a number of those who lost access to their platforms established new ones, not all followers/subscribers followed them to the new accounts.
Brands and advertisers prefer influencers with established following across social media. Starting from scratch again means losing gigs and revenue that come with it. Those who are lucky have been able to rise from the ashes and bounce back.
A weakened brand that would need time to rebuild and create a distinct identity that followers can associate with and one that brands can trust to partner with. In the competitive digital space, the loss of voice is a possible risk as audiences are quick to move on and embrace other creators.
They are thus left not only heartbroken but also grounded and staring at loss of revenue and erosion of brands as they struggle to rise again.
Mungai Eve: The end of a beautiful chapter & onto the next
Losing access to the digital platforms on which her fame was founded at the time in the aftermath of a romantic split was the painful experience of Mungai Eve after breaking up with Director Trevor in 2023.
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In the case of Eve, Trevor seized all social media accounts and YouTube channel that had propelled her to fame and defined her online presence.
Through effort and hardwork with the support of her fans, Mungai started rebuilding her empire from the ground up, away from the shadows of Trevor.
Notable names in the industry also came in to support her, granting her interviews with Andrew Kibe gracing her new YouTube channel and giving her the much-needed publicity and content that kept eyeballs glued.
Carol Sonnie's fresh start
Content creator and comedian Mulamwah appears to be an expert in this game with lessons on the reality of mixing modern relationships, digital connectivity and business ownership in the digital space.
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In 2022, his baby mama, Carol Muthoni aka Carol Sonie had to chart a new path on social media after losing access to her social media accounts following their dramatic split.
In 2022, Carol Sonnie suffered a setback when she lost the social media accounts following their breakup.
Ruth K's new beginnings
Until recently, Ruth K was a budding content creator with an established and growing following across all her social media accounts.
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READ: Ruth K's explanation on why Mulamwah never paid her dowry [Video]
Netizens noted that the mother of one was no longer operating some of her social media accounts following their breakup, fuelling speculation that she may have joined the list of those who have lost their platforms in a similar fashion.
Keranta: Transition from the Amore Family to Sprinkles of Keranta
For more than two years, Winnie Keranta and Amore formed a partnership that attracted subscribers and followers on various platforms and shared content on their YouTube channel, “The Amore Family”.
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Accusations of cheating, followed by a breakup would bring their enterprise down with Keranta claiming that Amore had locked her out of their joint YouTube channel.
She created a new channel Sprinkles of Keranta and embarked on a journey of rebuilding and serving content to her fans.
Natalie Tewa
Natalie Tewa’s suffered a similar fate when her relationship with Ugandan boyfriend Rnaze ended.
Having found her footing in content creation in 2015, Natalie shared her lifestyle and fitness journey with her fans until 2019 when she lost access to the platforms.
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She took a break from social media for close to a year before bouncing back bigger and better to reclaim her spot.