Kenyan female rapper Dyana Cods found herself at the center of controversy after sharing a post expressing her support for President William Ruto. The message, which quickly went viral, angered many of her devoted fans and sparked a heated exchange with actress and political commentator Wanjiku Stephens.
The drama unfolded on Dyana Cods’ Instagram Stories where she stated, “I love my president and I stand by that. Just know a country with bad governance is better than one with no governance. You can’t change the current leaders but you can change the coming generation of leaders.” The post was perceived by many as insensitive given the political climate, leading to widespread criticism.
Wanjiku Stephens amplified the backlash by urging people to boycott Dyana Cods’ music. The two later exchanged direct messages, during which Dyana threatened legal action if Wanjiku did not delete the posts. However, Wanjiku responded unfazed, mentioning that MP Babu Owino was her new lawyer and laughing off the lawsuit threat.
Realizing the intensity of the negative reaction, Dyana Cods returned to Instagram Stories to clarify and apologise. She revealed that the post had been made as part of a dare for 24 hours and described it as sarcasm directed at the government. “I was dared to post that for 24 hours but due to public outrage nimewachana na io mchezo….#wantam. It was a sarcasm post towards the government. Ata nyinyi mnajua gava zi. I stand with the people. Ilikuwa inside joke kwani hamjui jokes, Sorry to the people I offended,” she wrote.
Fans’ reactions to the apology were mixed. Some acknowledged that the timing of such “jokes” can be costly, especially in a tense political environment, while others criticized her for what they perceived as disingenuousness.
Apart from the political storm, Dyana Cods recently made headlines for generously sending her boyfriend KSh 90,000 via M-Pesa and sharing the transaction on social media. While some admired her for the gesture, others saw it as extravagant or unusual.
This whirlwind of events marks a challenging period for Dyana Cods, whose music career is closely followed by many young Kenyans. Her recent social media activities serve as a reminder of the fine line public figures walk when blending personal opinions with their public persona.