Filmmaker and content creator Abel Mutua has explained why he refuses to endorse alcoholic drinks and betting brands despite the lucrative deals available in Kenya’s influencer market.
Mutua said he has deliberately kept the two industries away from his brand because he does not want to promote products that do not align with his personal values or the relationship he has built with his audience.
The filmmaker made the remarks on October 2, 2026, while discussing commercial partnerships and the influence of brands within Kenya’s creator economy.
According to Mutua, alcohol and betting companies rank among the biggest corporate spenders in the influencer space. Despite the financial opportunities, he said he has never accepted such partnerships.
“I never touch them, go through my page and see if you will find anything,” Mutua said.
His decision, he explained, comes down to authenticity. Mutua said accepting a deal to promote a product he does not personally align with would make his content feel forced and could undermine the trust he enjoys among his followers.
He acknowledged that alcohol and betting companies have approached him with significant financial offers because of the size and influence of his audience.
However, he said money alone is not enough to convince him to attach his name to a product.
“If I’m not in line with something and I try selling it to you, you will see through my bullsh*t,” he said.
He argued that his audience knows his personality and can identify when he is genuinely supporting something and when he is simply taking money to promote it.
Mutua also framed his decision as a matter of principle, saying public figures should be willing to stand for what they believe is right even when doing so means turning down financial opportunities.
“It’s good to stand with the people, but it is more important to stand with what is right,” he said.
Mutua has previously spoken publicly about his own history with alcohol.
In an earlier account of his decision to quit drinking, the filmmaker recalled a night in 2005 when excessive drinking left him blacked out in a public urinal in Nairobi.
The experience became part of the story behind his decision to stop drinking, which he later recounted in his Young & Stupid storytelling series.
Mutua has also recently spoken about his late younger brother, Raphael Mbuvi Musyoka, popularly known as Rapho, during an appearance on The Kisiangani Podcast. Mutua recalled his family’s experience after discovering that Rapho was struggling with substance abuse.
