A bitter dispute has erupted at MEMA Africa, barely four months after the creative and music awards platform was launched, with co-founder Solomon Omboto Ongere declaring his withdrawal and accusing Executive Director Ezekiel Mutua of sidelining him and failing to account for funds.

Omboto, who describes himself as the primary investor and co-founder, formally communicated his withdrawal from MEMA Awards and MEMA Africa in a letter dated August 25, 2026, addressed to Dr Mutua and copied to the organisation’s board of directors.

The move has since been followed by a series of strongly worded social media posts by Omboto, in which he has expressed frustrations and anger over what he says happened to the organisation he helped create.

In the withdrawal letter, Omboto said he was “dissociating and withdrawing” himself from MEMA with immediate effect as an investor, founder and co-founder.

He claimed that he had funded almost all of MEMA’s initial operations with his lifetime savings but no longer controlled or had access to its voting funds, bank accounts, M-Pesa Paybills, sponsorship accounts, social media platforms and website.

According to Omboto, Dr Mutua confirmed during a video call that the accounts were under his control.

Omboto subsequently demanded a full accounting of funds invested by him alongside money received by MEMA since its creation.

He also demanded that his name, profile and likeness as a founder be removed from the MEMA website, promotional materials and social media platforms within 48 hours.

“I will also love MEMA Awards and MEMA Africa to pay me back my investment money,” Omboto wrote in the letter.

He further warned that continued use of his name to collect money after his withdrawal would, in his perspective, amount to misrepresentation.

Social media war

The formal withdrawal was followed by an extraordinary barrage of posts on social media, with Omboto making emotional statements concerning his association with Dr Mutua and his experience at MEMA.

In one post under the username Myogenic Himself, Omboto wrote:

“I had never seen a demon before until I met someone who purpoted to be my brother.”

In another post, he appeared to accuse unnamed individuals of using public relations to conceal problems within the organisation.

“Sometimes PR in Africa kills real dreams. What was supposed to assist our creative economy is being destroyed just because someone is too smart with PR. The con game is so big, you wouldn’t believe it,” he stated.

Omboto also alleged that money intended for artists was not being properly accounted for.

“There is a demi-god who wants to be worshiped, and he is upset because I refuse to worship him. I cannot accept someone eating money which is meant for artists under my watch,” he posted.

In another emotional message, he claimed he wanted his children to know that he had fought for what he believed was right.

“I might not be here, but I know my sons will one day ask, why dad? I want them to know I fought because I could not watch artists’ money being eaten under my watch,” he stated.

I was sidelined

Speaking on phone to The Nairobian from the USA where he currently resides, Omboto confirmed the allegations and said the dispute had caused him considerable emotional distress.

He claimed that the situation had left him deeply hurt and that he had, at one point, contemplated taking his own life before receiving support from people around him.

“For me, music and helping artists is deep in me, but what Dr Mutua put me through I can’t forget,” Omboto said, adding that the experience subjected him to emotional anguish and left him unsure whether he would survive.

He claimed that during the formation of MEMA, the founders had agreed that either of them would have the ability to withdraw funds from the organisation’s accounts.

I was surprised

But Mutua has rejected the suggestion that there was a prolonged confrontation between the two men, saying he was surprised by Omboto’s decision and the manner in which the allegations emerged.

The Nairobian reached out to Mutua, who confirmed that he had received Omboto’s withdrawal letter through WhatsApp. He said that after consulting his team, MEMA accepted Omboto’s decision and moved to implement his request.

“It is true Mr Omboto made a request to us in regard to having himself expunged from MEMA Awards. After consultations with my team, we resolved to accept the withdrawal and so we have since complied and effected his withdrawal from MEMA Africa,” Mutua told The Nairobian.

Mutua, however, said he was taken aback by the allegations, insisting that the two had been on good terms before Omboto left for the United States.

“Surprisingly, I got that information about Omboto’s allegations on social media and I was really surprised because we had been in good terms before he left for the USA. Anyway, I had to comply with his wish,” he said.

The dispute has now taken a legal turn, with Mutua’s lawyers issuing Omboto with a cease-and-desist letter, demanding a public apology and warning of possible defamation proceedings.

In a letter dated August 30, 2026, law firm Mwakio Kirwa Advocates, acting for Mutua, accused Omboto of embarking on a “ highly defamatory and malicious social media campaign” following his withdrawal from MEMA Africa.

MEMA, initially known as Myogenic Excellent Music Awards, was officially launched on May 2, 2026, at the prestigious Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi.

The initiative was presented as an artist-centred platform designed to nurture, discover and economically empower musicians and other creatives across Africa.

Omboto and Mutua were presented as the driving forces behind the initiative, which later expanded its identity and scope under the name MEMA Africa.

The organisation’s rapid expansion and ambitious promises generated considerable attention within Kenya’s creative and entertainment industry.

But barely four months after its launch, the public falling-out between the founders has raised questions about the organisation’s internal governance, finances, ownership structure and management.

At the heart of the dispute is Omboto’s demand for an accounting of the money he claims he invested and funds received by MEMA, alongside his insistence that his founder status and intellectual-property rights be recognised.

Dr Mutua, on his part, says Omboto made a voluntary decision to withdraw and that MEMA has complied with his request.

The latest legal demand adds a new dimension to the dispute, with Mutua now seeking to protect his reputation and that of MEMA through legal action over the social media statements.

For now, the accusations concerning the handling of funds remain allegations by Omboto and have not been independently established, while the defamation claims contained in the lawyers’ letter are also yet to be determined by a court.

What began as a high-profile partnership aimed at transforming Africa’s creative economy has therefore taken an unexpected turn, with one founder walking away, demanding his investment back and raising questions about accountability, while the other says he was simply responding to his former partner’s wish to leave and has now threatened legal action over the ensuing public accusations.

The next chapter of the MEMA saga may now depend on whether the two sides can resolve their ownership and financial disputes away from the increasingly heated court of public opinion, or whether the battle will ultimately move to a courtroom.