Smartphone brand OPPO Kenya has responded to allegations by popular content creator Flaqo of non-payment for work done.

Flaqo had accused the company and influencer marketing agency AIfluence of failing to pay him for work delivered during the Reno12 series campaign.

Flaqo revealed that his team had attended OPPO Kenya’s AI event in August 2024 and delivered three months’ worth of promotional content within just two weeks.

However, despite fulfilling their contractual obligations, he said that five months later, neither OPPO nor AIfluence had paid them.

Moreover, the comedian argued that since the brand benefited from their work, it should have taken responsibility for ensuring payment. Influencer Bernice Nunah also raised the same concerns.

OPPO Kenya Responds to Flaqo

In response, OPPO Kenya has clarified that the responsibility for influencer payments lay with AIfluence, the marketing agency it had hired for the campaign.

According to OPPO Kenya, the agency was in charge of all influencer contracts, deliverables, and payments for the Reno12 campaign. 

Further, the statement explained that OPPO Kenya met its financial obligations, making an initial 50 percent payment to the agency and clearing the final 50 percent in October 2024.

It is important to note that all influencers in this campaign signed direct contracts with the agency and not OPPO Kenya.

“However, we deeply empathize with the affected influencers. OPPO Kenya fulfilled all its financial obligations by making full payments to the said agency, AIfluence; this information was communicated to the influencers either directly or through their respective managers,” the statement read in part.

However, according to the company, none of the influencers have taken up this offer.

“Unfortunately, under Kenyan law, OPPO Kenya does not have the legal grounds to directly pursue AIfluence on behalf of the affected influencers,” added the statement.

Legal Action Moving Forward

The situation has escalated further, and the smartphone brand has now taken legal action against AIfluence, citing defamation and brand harm caused by the agency’s failure to pay influencers.

The dispute has in recent weeks sparked discussions about accountability in influencer marketing, with many influencers calling for stricter protections for digital creators.

Also, the issue raised concerns about transparency in brand-agency partnerships and the need for clearer payment structures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“OPPO Kenya has taken legal action against AIfluence on grounds of defamation and brand harm caused by the agency’s failure to fulfil their payment obligation to the affected influencers.

“OPPO Kenya does not condone the current frustrations that the influencers engaged in the Reno12 series campaign are going through. OPPO Kenya is fully committed to supporting any of the influencers affected by the current situation,” added the company.