In Africa, Mr. Beast digs 100 wells, earning both praise and criticism.In Africa, Mr. Beast digs 100 wells, earning both praise and criticism.

After being posted on Saturday, American YouTuber MrBeast’s most recent video, in which he claims to have constructed 100 wells throughout Africa, has sparked a heated debate online.

MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, believes that he would be “canceled” in response to the response, although other Kenyan journalists and activists claimed he has brought attention to the shortcomings of the Kenyan government.

Up to 500,000 people in Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe would have access to clean drinking water thanks to the new wells, according to Donaldson. Meanwhile, a companion fundraiser to benefit regional water relief organizations had received more than $300,000 by Monday morning.

The 10-minute video also featured Donaldson building a bridge over a river to safely connect a village with the local schools and hospital, donating new furniture, soccer balls, computers, whiteboards, and projectors to Kenyan schools, and giving bikes to a village in Zimbabwe to help children get to school. Renowned activist Boniface Mwangi contrasted Donaldson’s actions with those of the Kenyan government, stating that “we are a “shameful, horrible country…a begging nation governed by millionaires.”

“Every five years we give newly elected members of parliament and senators a Sh5 million car grant ($33,000), fuel those cars every month but we have no money to drill boreholes for our people?” he continued on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In response to the video, freelance journalist Ferdinand Omondi commended Donaldson’s efforts but expressed embarrassment that a YouTuber had to undertake charitable tasks that should have been handled by government taxes long ago.

CNN reached out to a Kenyan government spokesperson for a statement but had not received a response by the time of publication.

While much of the response focused on the video’s critique of the Kenyan government, Donaldson expected backlash and stated on X that he didn’t care about potential cancellation for uploading a video aimed at helping people.

Francis Gaitho, an aspiring Kenyan politician, criticized Donaldson’s video, suggesting it perpetuated the stereotype that Africa depends on handouts and philanthropic interventions. However, Gaitho’s comments also faced criticism of their own.

MrBeast, with over 200 million subscribers, holds the distinction of being the most popular individual creator on YouTube. He is renowned for his philanthropic efforts, showcased in videos where he sponsored cataract surgeries for 1,000 blind individuals and provided prosthetic limbs for 2,000 amputees.

These charitable videos have played a significant role in building his business empire, which could be valued at over $1 billion. Donaldson’s philanthropic work has earned him recognition, including being named one of the most influential people in 2023 by Time magazine.

While some critics have accused him of exploiting vulnerable individuals for views and revenue, Donaldson expressed his commitment to using his channel to assist people and inspire his audience to do the same on X.