Njugush Shares Experience of Being Fired After Requesting a Sh2,000 Pay Raise to His First Major Salary

It’s been a decade since comedian and content creator Timothy ‘Njugush’ Kimani first gained fame. Reflecting on his journey, Njugush remembers the challenges he faced before establishing a stable career in entertainment.

He recalls the difficult days of being well-known but financially struggling. “Being famous and broke is tough—it can mess with your mind. I remember going to a KTN interview, being recognized everywhere but barely able to afford the Sh50 bus fare. People couldn’t understand how someone could be both famous and broke. Once, someone saw me buying paraffin and was surprised I was using kerosene,” he shares.

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Njugush was once abruptly fired from a lead role on a TV show after requesting a modest Sh2,000 pay increase. He also remembers his first notable paycheck of Sh5,000, which began to transform his career. Now, he charges hundreds of thousands, even millions, depending on the project when clients reach out to him.

Before launching his online career, Njugush was featured in popular TV shows like *Hapa Kule News* and *The Real Househelps of Kawangware*, which brought him fame but little financial gain. *The Real Househelps of Kawangware*, produced by Protel Studios for KTN TV, became especially popular. “The show was a big hit in Kenya and even abroad, and Kenyans in the diaspora always wanted to meet me. But back then, I was still broke and could hardly afford bus fare to the city,” Njugush recalls.

By the end of the show’s 100 episodes in 2015, Njugush asked Protel Studios for a pay raise. “I invited the whole crew to my place in Kinoo and suggested we push for even a small Sh2,000 increase for our 2016 contracts, given the show’s success,” he explains. However, in early 2016, he noticed production had resumed without him. “I found out that the cast had been warned against asking for a raise, and I’d been dismissed for leading the effort. That was the end of my time on *The Real Househelps of Kawangware*.”

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Despite his contributions, Njugush says he earned little from his TV roles. When he was let go in 2016, he began posting skits on Instagram with his wife as his videographer, just for fun while planning his next steps. “One day, someone offered Sh5,000 to feature her brand in a skit. That’s when I realized if people would pay for content with only 50,000 followers, we could earn more with a million or more followers. That was a turning point,” he says.

Today, Njugush is among the top earners in content creation, securing hundreds of thousands to millions of shillings through brand partnerships, endorsements, and event hosting.