A new wave of Kenyan music acts is finding its way into the spotlight, with collective KETEH emerging as one of the names attracting attention following the release of its debut track, Umebant.
The six-member collective, formed through Tusker’s Base to Billboardz artist development programme, is beginning to introduce its sound to a wider audience, with its latest release providing an early indication of its potential in the local music scene.
KETEH brings together Muringi Matheri, Manasseh Shalom, Zawadi, Chris Barr, Njuguna and Ras Amor, six artists who spent months developing their music through the programme before coming together to release music as a collective.
Released on October 23, 2026, Umebant is a party record that marks the group’s debut as a collective. The track is classified as Afro-pop on Apple Music, placing it within a genre that continues to offer room for experimentation and different musical influences.
The song is already showing early signs of traction. It featured on Kenya’s Shazam charts, reaching number 55 on the Shazam Top Songs chart and number 10 on the Shazam Viral chart in the latest available rankings.
That attention has also extended to the live stage. KETEH performed at Tusker Oktobafest in Mombasa on November 1, where the collective opened the event at 1922 in Nyali with a performance of Umebant. The line-up also featured Gengetone artist Ssaru and rap collective Wakadinali.
The group’s emergence comes at a time when Kenyan audiences are increasingly embracing homegrown acts experimenting with sound and musical identity. Groups such as Watendawili have demonstrated how Kenyan artists can build audiences through distinctive approaches to Afropop and fusion, drawing from different musical influences rather than limiting themselves to conventional genre boundaries.
For KETEH, the challenge will be turning the attention around its first collective release into a sustained presence. With six individual artists bringing their experiences and musical influences into one project, the group has an opportunity to develop a sound that listeners can recognise as its own.
While Umebant marks an introduction, its early reception offers KETEH an opportunity to build on the interest and establish what comes next for the collective.
As more emerging Kenyan acts find audiences through streaming platforms, live performances and social media, KETEH is now among the groups to watch as the local music scene continues to evolve.
