H-Town Kids, an ensemble of talented children from Huruma slums in Nairobi, has received a much-needed boost for their craft from Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) CEO Dr. Ezekiel Mutua.
Comprising of over 20 children actors, singers, dancers, acrobats, models aged between 5 and 15 years, H-Town Kids have made a name for themselves for recreating celebrity photoshoots, movies and music videos.
They boast more than 13k followers on Instagram where they showcase their art. H-Town have also earned rave reviews and recognition from local celebrities such as Eric Omondi, Sauti Sol, Tanasha Donna, Sheila Kwamboka among others.
H-Town Kids finally caught the attention of Ezekiel Mutua after they were featured on NTV this past weekend.
Taking to social media, Dr Mutua lauded the kids and offered to buy them filming equipment.
“Just watched this beautiful piece by @NginaKirori on @ntvkenya and would like to buy them the equipment they are looking and support of their talents. It’s so gratifying to see young kids having so much fun in art. This is the real meaning of Sinema Mashinani. I love it!,” tweeted the KFCB boss.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFYzshSABfy/
In a past interview, the group’s founder, 13-year-old Joseph Mulwa, said H-Town Kids started as a game, where they would meet as friends to showcase their talent and imitate celebrities. Before they knew it, the group started getting recognition.
“Huruma Town kids have so much talent. We have dancers, rappers, and even singers. I was among the first people in the group; actually, I’m the one that started it. This is where I call home and share my talent with my friends. This is how I keep myself busy, and I will not give up because I know an idle mind is the devils workshop.
“Also my mother is unwell with high blood pressure, so I opted to engage in such recreational activities so that I don’t give her stress and pray that my talent will one day help her and also help other people out there,” said Joseph.
They are managed by one Rose Mwaura who said the group was created in 2019 during the August school holidays.
“We started with one kid, but so far, we have 23 members… Mostly, we bring on board kids aged between five and 15 years. They must have the passion to either act, dance or do acrobatics,” said Rose, who uses her money to buy the props and also juggles the roles of a producer, director, and photographer and uses her phone to records and edit the skits.
“Auntie Rose, our manager, is the one that has gotten us where we are today. Honestly, without her, I don’t know where we would be today. She helped me take part in Talanta Mtaani and managed to reach the semifinals,” said Joseph.
