Diminutive reggae aficionado Stephen ‘Rasta’ Bhingi, who went viral for his Rasta-inspired TikTok content, has finally spoken after meeting with President William Ruto.
Mr. Bhingi became popular for his unique way of dressing – an oversized Rasta hat, a crocheted Rasta-colored scarf, Gideon boots, and camouflage pants and jackets.
The lively creator began pushing his content on the TikTok platform where he could be seen either dancing while hanging around with boda boda riders at the Githurai Roundabout or simply idling about his neighborhood in Kiandutu, Thika, prancing around and playing reggae tunes for the cameras.
On March 18, photos and videos of Bhingi and President Ruto smiling at each other while striking the popular street foot-pose flooded the internet.
The President appears genuinely happy to have met the content creator, who also visibly wears what could be his brightest smile.
However, speaking days after the State House meeting with the president, Ras Bhingi said he didn’t even have a single chance to speak with the president as he disappeared without mincing a word.
“Tulipiga tu mapicha joh! Time nilitaka kumwaambia yenye nilitaka kumshow orezo kuwaangalia hivi after mapicha orezo alikuwa ashaenda,”
Bhingi said that the president only tried to ask his date of birth, but when Bhingi attempted to answer, the president was already speaking to another person as his bodyguards told him to move far away from the president.
Born in 1997, Bhingi has been appearing on several media interviews, speaking about his life and how he first fell in love with reggae.
He was among the guests invited for the announcement of monetisation of content on Facebook, Reels, and Instagram when the President met with the Facebook Management Team on Monetisation at State House, Nairobi.
Other content creators who graced the occasion included Eddie Butita, Jaymo Ule Msee and Jacky Vike popularly known as Awinja.
