The highly anticipated People’s Choice Awards left attendees, artists, and fans in shock and disappointment after the event failed to take place as planned on December 20, 2024.
The organizers of the annual awards, which recognize talent across Africa, did not communicate the cancellation in advance, leaving those who showed up stranded.
Speaking to City Mirror, one of the artists nominated for an award, Jomonotics, shared his experience. According to him, the event appeared disorganized from the start.
“The event looked deserted. Banners and stands from partners like MadFun, Motorhub, and Chicken Inn were missing—something that was very unusual,” he said.
As the event delayed, Jomonotics and other artists decided to investigate the situation. When they went backstage, they discovered that both the event organizers and the designated hosts, media personalities Azeezah Hashim and Tony Mwirigi, were missing.
“The event was significantly delayed, prompting me to investigate what was happening. I gathered a group of people, and we went backstage, only to discover that both the hosts and the event organizers were nowhere to be found,” Jomonotics narrated.
Following the chaos, the People’s Choice Awards management issued a statement apologizing to fans, attendees, and artists. The statement cited “circumstances beyond their control” as the reason for the event’s failure to take place.
“To address the inconvenience caused: Full Ticket Refunds: We will offer full refunds for all tickets purchased, ensuring the process is handled efficiently and completed in the shortest time possible. Prize Deliveries: We will personally contact all contestants and arrange for door-to-door delivery of their prizes,” read part of the statement.
The management also apologized to its partners, including MadFun, Motorhub, and Chicken Inn, for any inconvenience caused.
The organizers assured attendees that all tickets would be refunded and that winners would receive their awards directly. However, as of the time of reporting,
only a few artists, including Jomonotics, had received refunds, while the majority were still waiting.
The People’s Choice Awards, established in 2019, celebrates talent in fields such as entertainment, film, sports, and social media influence. This year’s debacle has left many questioning the integrity of the event, with some artists and fans vowing not to participate in future editions.
Social media users quickly took to their platforms to express outrage, with many questioning the credibility of the awards.
“Most of these awards zenye watu hulipia ku-vote zinakuaga scam mbaya coz what do you mean wasee walienda award event ya People’s Choice Awards na kumbe organizers wameenda SolFest,” lamented one Twitter user, Shanki.
Another user, Stagirl, wrote, “People’s Choice Awards organizers didn’t show up apparently. You deserve exactly that because why the hell are you paying to vote abeg?”
Siteiya added, “On the 5th of December, I warned people about THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS!!! Terming them as a pyramid scheme and a scam… weeuh jana kimewarambaa.”
