Jeff Koinange, Gaetano in star studded talent show judges panel

Citizen TV news anchor and talk show host Jeff Koinange, former Tusker Project Fame (TPF) presenter Gaetano Kagwa, Tanzanian singer Vanessa Mdee and Rwandese entertainer Makeda Mahadeo were on Saturday selected as the inaugural East Africa Got Talent (EAGT) judges.

The four were unveiled as the judges of the regional spin off of the popular reality show America’s Got Talent executive produced by British entertainment mogul Simon Cowell at the Coca-Cola Office in Nairobi on Saturday.

Mr Koinange is a revered Kenyan media personality who got his first big break working for American cable news network CNN. He has also worked for KTN and K24.

Gaetano is a Ugandan actor and broadcaster who has worked as a presenter at Capital FM (Kenya) and is also a former Big Brother Africa contender.

Makeda Mahadeo is a Rwandese media personality, deejay and emcee who is credited as the first female DJ in Rwanda.

Due to start airing in August this year, the EAGT show will have 10 episodes with the semi finals and grand finale expected to be shot in Kenya.

{Read: Kenya’s final East Africa’s Got Talent auditions take place in Nairobi}

The winner of the show will take home Ksh5 million (USD 50,000).

The winner will be the contestant that garners the most votes from the audience.

Each of the four judges will each have their own red buzzer that can only be pressed once the judge feels that they have seen enough to be able to gauge the performance of a contestant.

When all four buzzers have been pressed by the judges, the act must stop.

Each contestant needs to receive three approval ‘yesses’ from the judges to go through to the next round.

{See also: 386 artists picked for EABL’s new logo competition}

The auditions will be edited into 6 episodes which start broadcasting on Sunday 4 August at 8pm (7pm in Rwanda) across East Africa.