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Africa Live: Kenya cabinet meets as flood death toll nears 170 - BBC News Africa Live: Kenya cabinet meets as flood death toll nears 170 - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Mansur Abubakar Ian Wafula
BBC News BBC News, Mai Mahiu
Wizkid and Davido, two of Nigeria's biggest musicians, have captivated social media users across the nation with a war of words. At least 76 people are missing in Kenya amid a devastating deluge that has already claimed dozens of lives, the Kenya Red Cross says.
The two superstars have millions of fans across the world and have long been considered rivals. Many Nigerian music lovers class themselves as either "Team Wizkid" or "Team Davido". People in villages near Mai Mahiu, about 60km (37 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, were swept away as they slept on Monday morning.
A skirmish between the two began on Monday night after fans on social media platfor X begged Wizkid to release a new song. The incident occurred after water blew through a blocked tunnel underneath a railway line.
He responded to the requests by posting a video, which had previously been circulated widely, of a man on his knees, begging an unknown person for a favour. About 50 people had been confirmed dead by Monday evening, with the Red Cross adding on Tuesday that 110 survivors have been rescued.
Wizkid told his fans that if they begged him like the man in the clip, he would drop his new song. For a second day, rescuers are attempting to save those who are trapped under debri but remain alive. They are also trying to retrieve dead bodies from the mud amid fears that the death toll could rise further.
Previously, social media users suggested the subject of the video in question is Davido, but the 31-year-old star has not commented on the rumours. "I'm trying to salvage things that were carried away by water and look for missing people as well," Stephen Kamau, a villager who narrowly survived the disaster, told BBC.
On Monday night, Davido responded to Wizkid's taunt by saying he refuses to waste his "clout" on "someone whose career was resurrected a few years ago just to die again". "I woke up in a different world. Everything had been swept by water. We are in fear. My heart is heavy."
As well as drawing attention on social media, the clash has sparked debate on blogs and between fans interacting offline. Officers from state youth agency the National Youth Service (NYS) have joined locals and the Red Cross in their search efforts.
Fans of both singers are still having a field day defending their idols and popular music channel Hip TV has launched a poll on X in a bid to determine which musician has "won" the battle. In total, nearly 170 Kenyans have been killed in heavy rains and floods over the past month.
Wizkid and Davido are arguably two of Africa's biggest music stars. They have both won several MTV and BET music awards and have collaborated with international artists including Drake, Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj.
Read more:
Kenya flooding: Around 50
killed in villages near Mai Mahiu town
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