Musician Exray Taniua has opened up on how much money he was paid by President William Ruto for his song, 'Sipangwingwi' which was used during Kenyan Kwanza campaigns.

During an interview with Tuko, the Gengetone musician said that was paid over Sh 1,000,000 for the remix but refused to indicate the exact amount that the wealthy Ruto had paid him.

"Nilishtuka sana kummeet. Ruto ni msee mfiti hata wife wake alinipatia number akanishow nikiwa na shida yeyote nimcall," he said.

He added that he was at first scared to meet with the current Kenyan commander in chief as he was concerned at how his association would affect his career by supporting a political figure. 

The gifted rapper also touched on the behind the scenes of shooting the video with Mr Ruto at the Deputy President's Karen residence at the time.

He described the president and his wife first lady, Rachel Ruto as being down to earth and humble people.

Despite the success of the original song, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) banned the song 'Sipangwingwi' on April 8th but that didn't stop Mr Ruto from releasing the remix a few hours later christened 'Hatupangwingwi'.

The DP, who adopted the phrase as his signature campaign slogan, tweeted the song that same day.

NCIC had listed the 'Sipangwingwi' phrase among the terms that contain coded elements of hate speech. 

At the time, NCIC chairman Samuel Kobia said the words were now banned in public rallies, social media posts and political talk shows.

“This will go a long way in containing hate speech and ensuring our nation is secure during this electioneering period,” he said.

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