Safari Martins, a Kenyan barber known online as “Chief Safro,” is drawing attention for giving haircuts with unconventional tools, including a razor-sharp shovel blade.
Martins, who works in Kiambu at the edge of metropolitan Nairobi, invites customers into a sparse roadside shack where tools hang on wooden walls alongside a helper who films the process from multiple smartphone angles.
“I just use unconventional tools,” Martins said as he slid the shovel edge across Ian Njenga’s head for the first cut of a series. Martins’ videos also feature other unusual implements displayed for the service, which the story describes as part of his “zany” style that has helped him build a large online audience.
Martins is among Kenya’s best-known influencer barbers, with around 1 million followers on each of his Instagram and TikTok accounts. The article says he was born in Rwanda and is now based in Nairobi, and that he has increasingly added traditional African folk tales to voiceovers on his videos.
“I’m motivated by African culture, by African stories,” Martins said. He also said one of his tools, a sharpened iron box, was blessed by village elders.
Customers have responded not just to the novelty of the tools, but to the haircut results and the chance to be featured, the story said. Njenga, who first visited Martins last year, said, “If I compare him with other barbers his talent is next level,” and added: “When I get shaved here I get very comfortable … while walking in the streets I get very confident.”
The price is a factor as well. Martins charges up to 1500 Kenyan shillings—almost $12—for a cut, which the story said is a hefty premium in Nairobi where men may pay about a tenth of that for a trim. Still, the article says the appeal of the unique experience and social media fame is enough for customers to go ahead.
The story places Martins’ rise in the broader context of Kenya’s rapid social media growth. It cited DataReportal, saying there were 10.6 million social media users in Kenya in January 2023, rising to 15.1 million by January 2025.
The article also points to monetization opportunities for creators. It cited a June 2025 brief by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, saying around 15% of Kenyans who engage in online content creation rely on it as their primary source of income, and noted that barbers are seeking similar outcomes.
Even so, Martins said barbers are not getting paid like other online creators. “Barbers get viral on social media but I feel like they are not respected,” he said, adding that “You are not paid as a content creator, even though you have the views, even if you have the engagement.”
The article said Fundmates has found that the highest-paid creators are often those who produce gaming, education, or lifestyle content, because those niches have broader brand-deal applicability.