Reuters Institute Report Profiles Edgar Obare Among Kenya’s News Creators
Edgar Obare is one of the creators profiled in the Kenya chapter of Mapping News Creators and Influencers in Social and Video Networks, a study published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford on October 28, 2025.
The report describes him as “a Kenyan blogger notorious for spilling celebrity gossip and ‘tea’ (scandalous exposés) on social media,” adding that he “operates primarily via Instagram, where he invites anonymous tips to uncover alleged infidelity, fraud, or other dramas involving Kenyan public figures.”
How the study was done
The study covers 24 countries. Respondents to the Reuters Institute’s 2024 and 2025 Digital News Report surveys who use Facebook, YouTube, X, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok for news were asked to name up to three creators or personalities they pay attention to. The researchers then counted the most-mentioned names.
Kenya’s creator economy
Kenya stands out in the study: 58% of respondents there regularly pay attention to creators and influencers on social and video networks, the second-highest share of the 24 countries, compared with 34% who follow news brands and journalists on those platforms. The report calls entertainment and celebrity news “another key characteristic of the Kenyan market.”
Others profiled in the Kenya chapter include Larry Madowo, comedian Eric Omondi, Lynn Ngugi, Oga Obinna, The Newsguy.ke, Temina Semo and Shawn Dalmas.
The citation follows Edgar’s back-to-back Blogger Influencer of the Year titles at the Pulse Influencer Awards in 2021 and 2022, his Top 25 Men in Digital 2021 listing by SOMA Awards Kenya, the People’s Choice Award at the Africa Digital Influencer Awards and NRG Fan Fave Blogger of the Year 2020.
