Comedian YY has blamed Kenyans for the low salaries earned by local footballers, arguing that poor attendance at matches is affecting the money generated by the sport and limiting players’ earnings.

He explained that football is not just a sport but also a business that depends on revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships and television broadcasting. He said Kenyans need to attend local matches if they want clubs and players to earn more money.

YY argued that filling stadiums would help generate millions of shillings from ticket sales, which could improve the financial position of football in the country. He added that the responsibility of supporting the sport should not be left to clubs and players alone.

“We are the reason why Kenyan footballers cannot get paid well. You see as much as football is a sport. Football is also a business, you get paid based on the revenue you generate,” YY said on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

YY explains how ticket sales could generate millions

YY used a 60,000-capacity stadium to explain the amount of money that could be raised if Kenyans turned up for matches in large numbers. He said charging Ksh1,000 per ticket and filling the entire stadium would generate Ksh60 million from a single game.

He added that three well-attended matches could help bring in significant revenue, arguing that Kenya had the potential to raise as much as Ksh1 billion from ticket sales in one month if people made attending matches a regular activity.

“One of them is ticket sales, you pay to watch, filling up a 60,000 capacity at Ksh1,000 bob will generate 60 million in a match. All we need is three great games,” YY said.

He also explained that sponsors were unlikely to invest in football if matches continued to attract low attendance. According to him, companies needed to see people turning up before putting their money into the sport.

“Sponsors will not come if there are no people,” he said.

YY further pointed to television and broadcasting as another area that could benefit from increased attendance. He said making football part of everyday life in Kenya would encourage television stations to return to broadcasting matches.

YY calls for football culture

However, YY noted that efforts to build a football culture faced challenges, pointing to situations where people attending matches had to be dispersed using teargas. He said Kenyans needed to change their approach to local football and regularly attend matches if they wanted players to earn better salaries.

“If we want footballers to earn well, we need to start attending these matches,” YY said.