Comedian Sammy Kioko has shared that he’s selling his car — a vehicle he famously won after emerging the overall winner of the Ultimate Comic competition — to raise money for a loved one who urgently needs medical treatment outside the country.
The move comes barely days after Kioko announced the closure of his business, Kioko Designs, and opened up about his deepening financial woes following unpaid dues from the Machakos County Government.
In a video shared on his Instagram page, the popular entertainer spoke about the decision to part with what many fans have long associated with one of the proudest moments in his career.
“This car has been a blessing for the past 8 years” Kioko said. “sometimes as a man you have to do what you got to do even if it hurts. This November, my goal was to take my sister, my friend, my work colleague to travel and go and seek further medical attention.”
The car sale adds another layer to the struggles the comedian has been facing since his public standoff with Machakos County Government.
In October, Kioko camped outside Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s office to demand payment for work he says was delivered to the county nearly two years ago. The job involved supplying branded merchandise and uniforms for an event, but according to Kioko, the county never settled the bill — money he says he desperately needs to revive his now-defunct business.
“It’s been two years of promises and phone calls,” Kioko said in a previous clip. “I’ve gone to the county offices so many times that the guards now know me by name. All I’m asking is to be paid for work I completed. This is not a handout — it’s my right.”
The Machakos County Government has since dismissed his claims, suggesting the comedian may be part of a political smear campaign meant to tarnish Governor Wavinya Ndeti’s image.
Kioko, however, maintains he has all the necessary evidence — including invoices, delivery notes, and communication — to prove his claim. He insists his push for payment is not political but purely a matter of justice and survival.
“If standing up for myself makes me an enemy, then so be it,” he said in a recent post. “But I won’t stop until I get what’s owed to me.”
A trained teacher before joining the entertainment scene, he shot to national fame after winning The Ultimate Comic competition, a milestone that came with a cash prize, a TV contract, and a brand-new car — the same one he has now sold to finance his sister’s treatment.
At the time, the win symbolized his breakthrough moment in Kenya’s comedy landscape, marking his transition from a hopeful performer to one of the country’s most recognizable young entertainers.
But as fate would have it, the car has now become a lifeline in a season marked by uncertainty.
Despite the financial turmoil and family struggles, Kioko says he remains hopeful that better days are ahead.