''East Africa's Got Talent'' is a

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

competition that is part of the Got Talent franchise owned by

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...

. It broadcasts simultaneously across four countries in East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.

Winners

Season 1: Esther and Ezekiel

Judges

Season one

Jeff Koinange Jeff Mwaura Koinange (born 7 January 1966) is a Kenyan journalist and host of '' Jeff Koinange Live'', a talk show on Citizen TV since February 2017. He is also a radio host, alongside Nick Odhiambo, on the breakfast show at HOT 96, the Engli ...

(Kenya)

Vanessa Mdee Vanessa Hau Mdee (born 7 June 1988), is a Tanzanian singer, rapper, television personality and radio host. Mdee is popularly known for being the first ever Tanzanian MTV VJ. She later rose to prominence as a radio and TV host, hosting ''Epic Bong ...

(Tanzania) Makenda Mahadeo (Rwanda)

Gaetano Kagwa Gaetano Jjuko Kagwa is a Ugandan actor and broadcaster. He currently co-hosts a breakfast show "Gaetano & Lucky in the Morning" at 91.3 Capital FM with Lucky Mbabazi as well a judge on East Africa's Got Talent alongside Dj Makeda, Jeff Koinange a ...

(Uganda)

Show structure

The show has two rounds of auditions. The first round referred to as, pre-auditions is held across different cities in each participating country. The second round, referred to as, theatre auditions are done later at a setting in front of Judges and live audience. Preliminary auditions The pre-auditions were held in major cities in each country which included Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Kigali. Theater auditions Once a performance is over, each judge will give an overview of what they thought about the act, before casting a vote. The judges are allowed to use the golden buzzer to send an act directly to the semi finals. Each judge can only press the golden buzzer once throughout the entire season. Deliberations After the completion of theater auditions, the judges whittle down the acts to only eighteen to compete in the semi finals. Live shows Semi-finals The live shows include three episodes of semifinals in which the successful eighteen acts from the auditions get to compete for a spot in the finals. In each episode, six acts perform. The act with the most public vote automatically goes through to the finals while the judges choose from the 2nd and 3rd respectively in the public vote. In case of a tie, the act placed 2nd in the public vote advances to the finals. A judge can buzz if not impressed with the act. The performance can be terminated if all the judges buzz the act. Finals The final episode operates using the same format as the semi finals, though this time the winner is determined purely by a public vote, with the finalists attempting to secure more votes than the others by performing a new routine at their best. The host announces the results with the act gaining more public votes declared the winner. The winner receives a grand prize of 50 000 dollars.

Auditions

The show had two rounds of auditions. The first round referred to as, pre-auditions were held across different cities in each participating country. The second round, referred to as theatre auditions, were done later at a setting in front of judges and a live audience. Preliminary auditions The pre-auditions were held in major cities in each country. Theater auditions Theater auditions were held in Mpesa foundation academy, in Kenya in front of judges and a live audience. This event was pre recorded. The judges cast a vote to either eliminate an act or send it through to the next stage. Golden Buzzer The judges had a choice to press the golden buzzer which sends an act direct to the semi finals. The first Judge to press the golden buzzer was

for Uganda's 7year old, Leyna Kagere.

pressed his second golden buzzer for Tanzania's Team Makochokocho. The third golden buzzer from Makeda went to Hoziyana Peace (23) from Rwanda. The last golden buzzer was pressed by

for Uganda's Jehova Shalom Acapella.

Participants

These participants made it past theatre auditions by securing at least three yes from the judges. Winner Runners up Yellow ffff00 pog

Golden Buzzer - Auditions

Semi-finals

The Semi finals were filmed live at

Catholic University of Eastern Africa Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), is a multi-campus private university in Kenya. It is accredited by the Commission for University Education in Kenya. Location The main campus of the university is located along Bogani East Road, ...

Eighteen acts that got through from the theatre auditions battled it out in a heated competition to secure a place in the final six. Six acts performed each week and only two made the cut. : Crystal Clear action button cancel

Buzzed Out , Crystal Clear app clean

Judges' choice , : ,

Semi-finals 1 (September 15)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Nandy Non-competition performances

Semi-finals 2 (September 22)

Guest Performer, Results Show:

Serro Serro is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Conceição do Mato Dentro. As of 2020, the estimated population was 20,940. In col ...

Non-competition performances

Semi-finals 3(September 29)

Guest Performer, Results Show:

Bruce Melodie Itahiwacu Bruce (born 2 March 1992), commonly known as Bruce Melodie is a Rwandan singer and songwriter and a winner of Primus Guma Guma Super Star seasons 8 (PGGSS). He is the Founder of Igitangaza Music record Label. Bruce is also a brand ...

Final

Finale (October 6)

The Finale was filmed live at

. : , 6 acts had to step up their game and battle it out for the grand prize of $50,000. Guest Performer, Results Show: Ommy Dimpoz.

Awards

The winners won $50,000, c. KES 5,000,000.

Controversy

Concerns were raised about the Burundian drummers not coming from the four participating countries namely Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. The producers of the show released a statement clarifying that the group members were legal residents of Rwanda and had all the rights to participate as participation was open to anyone from the four countries.

References

{{Got Talent 2019 television series debuts 2019 television series endings Kenyan reality television series Got Talent Citizen TV original programming