Ugandan entrepreneur Shakib Cham has publicly challenged Facebook over its creator payments, calling out Mark Zuckerberg after a payout he found shockingly low.
The numbers looked impressive. In the seven days to Monday, 5 October, Shakib’s page pulled in 11 million views, more than 967,000 engagements and 6,415 new followers.
His payout, however, was a mere $128.69. He took the complaint straight to Meta’s chief executive, writing: “Why is Facebook paying me only $128 instead of $10k in a week. This is not fair Mark Zuckerberg.”
Shakib’s latest complaint follows a pattern. Last August, he shared figures from a post that reached 41 million views and 2.1 million engagements, worth $1,056.95 (roughly KSh129,000 to KSh135,000). Marketers were quick to weigh in, noting that where your audience lives has a big effect on pay.
East African viewers, they said, bring in far less advertising money than Western ones. In another instance, 1.2 million views netted him only $8.19.
Facebook is only a small part of Shakib’s earnings. He says it contributes under 5% of his income, with most of his money coming from other ventures.
These include King Cham Collection, his Ugandan streetwear brand, plus car dealerships and mineral trading. He also stepped into the boxing ring at Nairobi’s Sarit Centre for the Vurugu 2.0 event, where he defeated Kenyan artiste Arrow Bwoy.
Social media weighs in
Shakib’s post sparked plenty of debate online. Several users treated it as a joke, while others took the question seriously. Kasujja Yahaya wrote: “A few understand that uncle Shakib is actually showing off.”
Derick Illie, meanwhile, laid out how the system works. “It’s the location you’re in,” he wrote, explaining that payouts depend on what advertisers pay in the area where content is viewed.
Hon Bakityanse had a shorter verdict: “Here in America, that’s just Lunch.”
Dennis Kisitu took a more practical view, advising Shakib to post longer content and spend the $128 promoting a post that leads to his King Cham Collection page.
Some users put the amount in local terms. Ogachi Ogachi said it would go a long way in Tanzania, “especially when put inside a 90kg maize bag”, but would buy only a bottle of John Walker whisky in Kenya.
