Kenyan TikToker Baba Talisha has come out swinging after rumours began circulating online that he was in serious financial distress, firmly rejecting any suggestion that people should fundraise for him on social media.
In a selfie-style video filmed inside a car at night, the caption reading ‘I do not want any fundraiser on TikTok’ set the tone for what followed.
Baba Talisha was visibly emotional and frustrated as he addressed his followers directly, urging people to stop making assumptions about his situation.
Baba Talisha on his financial situation
The content creator did not shy away from acknowledging that he had been going through a rough patch. He confirmed that he had needed to raise money related to a court judgment, but made it clear that he never once asked the TikTok community for help. Instead, he went to his personal circle.
“Within 12 hours, I had that money,” he said, crediting close friends who rallied around him without any public appeal.
He was particularly pointed in his criticism of people who made videos about him online, many of whom, he said, had never once called to check on him, referred him to work opportunities, or offered any practical help.
He singled out MC Chris Kirubi, Hannah Benta, and Rachel Toma as among the few who had actually been in contact with him personally.
Perhaps the most striking moment in the video came when Baba Talisha addressed what should happen if the worst were ever to happen to him. He was direct: no one should come to TikTok to raise money for his burial.
“Even hata nikikufa, sitaki kuwa na mutu wamekujia TikTok kunichangia pesa,” he said, adding that his family and true friends should be the ones to handle such matters, funded by those who genuinely knew him.
He also took a broader swipe at TikTok as a platform, describing it as “a very toxic social media app” when it comes to fundraising, arguing that receiving money from strangers online creates its own complications and judgements that follow a person long afterwards.
His message to those who had been commenting negatively was equally blunt.
He reminded viewers that everyone carries their own struggles, regardless of how their life appears from the outside, and that mocking someone else’s hardship was a dangerous habit.
“Never mock some situation bana. Utajipata kwa hiyo ngori nyingine ya noma,” he warned, urging people to simply help when they can or stay silent when they cannot.
