Thanks to the availability of low-cost China-made smartphones and 4G services in most parts of Kenya, TPTL is planning to encourage local corporates to open their own live streams on Live-Baze and use them to market their products. "The opportunities for marketing and brand building are huge," said Thiga.

And this applies not just to companies but even talented individuals, he said. "From our research, we feel there is potential for a talented individual to earn 100,000 Kenyan shilling ($985) to Ksh200,000 per month."

To square up against Facebook and Instagram that have already introduced Facebook Live and Periscope respectively in Kenya, Live-Baze has been giving away a monthly Baze Race Award to its top three artists with the most number of followers. The award entails cash prizes of Ksh10,000, Ksh5,000 and Ksh 2,000 respectively.

Juliet Omondi, 25, who streams content like daily fitness routine, cooking and do-it-yourself interior design, has won the award twice already. Typically, she receives 300-400 views when online.

Unlike other live-streaming platforms, Live-Baze allows her to be herself, she said. "My fan base has increased tremendously. I also receive numerous enquiries. Sometimes, fans call when I'm offline and request me to go online. All this is an amazing experience for me."

For livelihood, the English literature graduate works as a farmer, fashion stylist and make-up artist, and is planning a show featuring celebrities and opinion-builders. "Kenyans want content, and that's the only way I can grow my viewership."

Like Omondi, Paskaline Jebet, 22, is a winner of the Baze Race Award. Her stream features DIY creative art and dance, and has up to 400 viewers during peak hours.

She said Live-Baze has expanded her talent and keeps her on her toes literally, because viewers always crave fresh content. So, Jebet comes up with new moves and interesting creative ideas to keep them engrossed.

All the interactive activity has transformed a hitherto reticent Jebet into an outgoing, articulate and confident performer.

The land administration undergraduate works as a high-fashion model and runway coach, and plans to use Live-Baze to sell her creative ideas to her viewers.

Streaming isn't fun always, however, and poses challenges and tricky situations, Omondi said. For example, phone battery tends to exhaust quickly. Handsets could overheat. Calls may come in during broadcasts.

"To receive a call, I've to sign out of the app. Else, my viewers get to hear the conversation. By the time I resume, most of the viewers would have left. So, I'm planning to buy a tablet exclusively for nonstop streaming," said Omondi.