The story of Bonoko (James Kang’ethe Maina), who rose from the streets as a glue-sniffing urchin commonly referred to as ‘chokora’ to work for one of the most famous radio stations in Kenya and eventually became a household name, is a perfect description of the quote, ‘from rags to riches.’
He continues to be the modest man who rose to fame by telling the truth, as an eyewitness, about how an innocent butcher was killed and had a fake gun referred to as “bonoko” placed by the police to incriminate him.
The nickname (Bonoko) stuck like glue, and he decided to adopt the name since most Kenyans remembered him from the incident as it went viral.
Bonoko Deh’s Salary
Bonoko started working as a trainee at Ghetto Radio’s ‘Goteana Show’ previously hosted by Mbusii, his mentor, alongside Lion Deh.
Their show gained nationwide popularity and is still credited as the pioneer of ‘Sheng’ broadcasting radio programs in Kenya.
Unfortunately, the other two presenters, Mbusii and Lion, left the station.
However, Bonoko proved his loyalty to the Media Company, which transformed him from a nobody to a reputable media personality by refusing a competitive radio station’s lucrative offer.
Fortunately, with the departure of the two presenters, Mbusii and Lion, Bonoko was ready to assume the role of a host.
That is how he ended up hosting the Goteana show alongside Dj. Bling.
The program airs every weekday from 3 PM to 7 PM.
Since he is now the main presenter of one of the country’s most famous afternoon shows, reliable sources from the media company have confirmed that he receives approximately Ksh.200, 000 in monthly wages.
Although he has never made this information public, he has confessed that he bought a new home and a car.
He also built a house for his mother in Muranga.
Bonoko has opened several car wash businesses in Nairobi, where he employs his former street urchin friends.
According to the latest estimates, a single car wash can generate a profit of at least Ksh.2000 to Ksh.5000 daily, depending on its location.
Below is a detailed breakdown of his salary from Ghetto radio:
| Gross Pay | 200,000 | |
| Non-Cash Benefits | 0.00 | |
| NHIF | 1700 | |
| NSSF | 1080 | |
| Taxable Income | 197,220 | |
| PAYE | 52,383.35 | |
| Net Pay | 144,836.65 |
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