Musician and actress Sanaipei Tande has been picked as one of the judges for Bongo Star Search (BSS), Tanzania’s premier talent competition, which will make its debut in Kenya later this year.
As BSS celebrates its 15th anniversary, this edition will include Kenyan participants. Tande will join fellow judges Madam Rita, Master J, Salama Jabir, and S2KZY in evaluating contestants at the National Theatre on November 30 and December 1.
“The show aims to provide a platform for aspiring artists to showcase their talents and pursue their dreams,” said Rita Paulsen, CEO of Benchmark 360 Limited, the organization behind BSS, during a press conference in Nairobi.
Benchmark 360 Limited has partnered with StarTimes Limited in Tanzania for the past five years to bring this reality show to life.
According to Rita, expanding to Kenya aligns with their vision of making dreams come true.
“Many previous contestants have achieved significant success in the music and entertainment industry, making this competition a crucial part of Tanzania’s entertainment scene. Now, we aim to be a part of East Africa’s history,” Rita stated.
The competition will see five Kenyan finalists join contestants from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi in Dar es Salaam, where they will compete to narrow the field from 50 to 20, and ultimately to the top three. The overall winner will receive a grand prize of at least USD 10,000.
Participants can perform in any music genre, with fans contributing 40% of the voting via text and the StarTimes app.
Tande and the other judges will play a pivotal role in selecting the best talents.
Rita was accompanied at the event by Tamima Ibrahim, StarTimes Marketing Director, Jing Du, Head of Content at StarTimes, and Myke Mwai, Head of PR at StarTimes Kenya.
