DNK International By Our Reporter,Nairobi
Jackson Ngechu Makini, popularly known as CMB Prezzo, is one of the most recognisable personalities to emerge from Kenya’s modern entertainment industry.
He was born on January 9, 1980, in Nairobi and grew up in Eastleigh and later Lang’ata before building a career that has taken him from music and television to business and politics.
Prezzo attended Greensted International School and later Braeburn School.
He developed an interest in aviation and trained at CMC Flying School at Wilson Airport before travelling to Canada to complete his pilot training.
Prezzo jokingly described “flying” to Daily News Kenya-International as the subject he majored in, while identifying Geography as his favourite school subject.
His first known employment was at the family owned Makini Herbal Clinic, where he says he earned Sh5,000 working at the front desk.
The experience introduced him to business at an early age, while his passion for entertainment eventually led him into music.
Prezzo entered the professional music scene in the early 2000’s and founded Cash Money Brothers, popularly known as CMB.
He became associated with a flamboyant style built around expensive cars, jewellery, fashion, high production videos and dramatic performances.
Songs such as “Mafans”, “Naleta Action”, “Prezzo”, “Vile Nitafanya”, “Leo Ni Leo”, “Nipe Nikupe”, “Mahangaiko”, “Tazama Mbele”, “My City My Town” and “Let’s Get Down” helped establish his reputation.
His approach went beyond making music.
Prezzo understood the importance of branding and publicity at a time when Kenya’s urban music industry was rapidly developing.
His famous helicopter arrival at the 2004 Chaguo La Teeniez Awards and limousine appearance the following year became memorable moments in Kenya’s entertainment history.
Through CMB, his music and his highly publicised lifestyle, Prezzo contributed to the transformation of Kenyan artistes from performers into complete entertainment brands.
His emphasis on image, promotion, expensive productions and stage presentation influenced a generation of musicians and helped make celebrity branding an important component of Kenya’s music industry.
Money has also been central to Prezzo’s public persona.
He has openly embraced wealth, luxury and entrepreneurship and has spoken about making his first million at the age of 24.
Prezzo has repeatedly encouraged young people to pursue business, take calculated risks and develop multiple sources of income rather than depend entirely on music.
His career has not been without controversy.
Prezzo has faced public criticism over his flamboyant lifestyle, relationships, reported rivalries with other musicians and various allegations that he has publicly denied.
He has also spoken about difficult periods in his personal life, including a period of isolation following the collapse of his marriage.
Away from music, Prezzo became a television personality and appeared on the reality show Big Brother Africa in 2012, giving him a wider African profile.
He has also been involved in acting and other entertainment projects.
Prezzo later made an unexpected move from entertainment into politics.
In 2019, he formally joined Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Movement and announced his intention to contest the Kibra parliamentary seat.
His political ambitions emerged after the death of then Kibra MP Ken Okoth, which triggered a by-election.
Prezzo initially expressed interest in the vacant seat, but Wiper leadership advised him to wait and pursue the seat in the 2022 General Election.
In 2020, Prezzo again declared that he would be on the ballot for Kibra in 2022, saying he wanted to deliver the change politicians often promise during campaigns.
His political journey, however, changed direction. In January 2022, Prezzo resigned from Wiper while indicating that he was eyeing the Kasarani parliamentary seat.
He had been undertaking voter registration sensitisation and positioning himself for the General Election.
Although he did not ultimately emerge as an elected Member of Parliament, politics remained part of his ambitions.
In March 2025, Prezzo said he had not abandoned his presidential ambitions for the 2027 General Election.
He also said he had established a political party called Chama Mabadiliko Busara, or CMB, which he described as a grassroots movement seeking support in both rural and urban areas.
He said the party’s chain symbol represented breaking political and social barriers, including tribalism.
The political chapter added another dimension to the Prezzo brand: the musician who had once called himself “President” on stage was now openly seeking an actual political office.
His political statements have frequently drawn on his trademark confidence and his belief that his experience in entertainment, business and public life could be translated into leadership.
Family and business have remained important alongside his music and public ambitions.
Prezzo has spoken warmly about his daughter and his younger brother Philipo Makini, whom he describes as a close friend.
He has also maintained links with Makini Herbal Clinic while pursuing entertainment, business and other investments.
At one time Prezzo was seen by former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga where rumours emerged that Njenga has recruited him as the then outlawed sect youth leader,however we were not able to independently able to verify this claims from the two.
Among Prezzo’s most memorable remarks is his declaration: “I will always be President. Many are called, but few are chosen. I am the only President without opposition.”
He has also described himself as a pacesetter who survived intense rivalry during the early years of his music career, saying he remained steadfast when some peers tried to shut him down.
From the streets of Nairobi to the national entertainment stage, from CMB and the “King of Bling” era to television, business and political ambitions, Jackson Makini’s journey has been marked by reinvention.
More than two decades after entering the music industry, CMB Prezzo remains a notable figure in Kenya’s pop-culture history and an entertainer whose ambitions have extended far beyond music.
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🗓️ [Daily News Kenya-International@October 7,2026]
