9 Funny Phrases That Made Headlines In Kenya In 2022
Not a year has gone by without a bucket full of funny phrases that have left Kenyans in stitches and turned into trends that have run across social media for weeks on end.
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Undoubtedly the largest contributor to happiness in Kenya is memes. If there is any country in Africa where the making of memes and funny phrases has been executed to perfection, it is right here in the famous 254.
Not a year has gone by without a bucket full of funny phrases that have left Kenyans in stitches and turned into trends that have run across social media for weeks on end.
In Kenya, anything tiny to anything huge can be developed into a meme or a funny phrase with the click of a button on a computer, or through the magic fingers in a smartphone, anywhere and anytime. In the country of memes, no one is spared; whether you are an ordinary Kenyan or the President of the Republic of Kenya.
Viral Tea takes a look at some of the most popular funny phrases of 2022:
Murife Don't Run
The South African name Molefe, which is pronounced as Murife, set the Kenyan internet on fire in the last quarter of 2022 after a video went viral showing a man being chased by two relentless puppies. What is particularly amazing about it is two women could be heard trying to frantically convince Murife not to run away from the puppies despite the threat they posed.
The two women can be made to believe that they had a better understanding of the little canines even though they can be easily dealt with compared to a fully grown dog. By Murife running away, he was making his predicament even worse.
Ignoring their warnings, the man sprinted away anyway, with the dogs charging after him. One person recorded the incident, and it found its way into Kenyan territory, with different users using the audio to make clips of their own.
Viral Tea traced its origins to a South African homestead with Murife, the subject of the entire clip, bursting himself into African stardom online. It is actually called Molefe, pronounced as Murife, a name given to male babies.
Molefe originated from the Tswana clan in South Africa which means pay her damages. The name is given to individuals who portray ingenuity and independence and children named Molefe are believed to possess some skills in creative thinking that enhance productivity.
The video prompted Kenyans to produce masterclass recreations, with one of them using it on a past South African film where a man from an indigenous tribe alongside two tourists took off after noticing a lion heading right for them.
Another had used the audio clip in a past video of running battles from the 2017 post-election chaos where a demonstrator was recorded being chased by General Service Unit (GSU) officers.
Mapema Ndio Best
Party lovers will be expected to use this phrase many times in December, well known for its massive circulation of alcoholic drinks and food as the party fever takes centre stage during the festive season. Did you know that in their social media reporting, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had used it once?
This slogan is basically a rallying cry for all lovers of a good time. It’s a clarion call, an invitation to join the party early and not miss out on a thing.
The slogan is mostly applicable from Friday evenings running through to Sunday when friends call each other, text each other and coax each other into meeting up as fast as possible.
It is also relatable to Matatu business, when you wake up early you can pay as little as Ksh20 unlike when you wake up at 7 am depending on the route you live in. It is also best related to the English version of 'the early bird catches the worm' whereby if you're early to any event, apply for a job early or wake up early, you get the best results.
The song “Mapema Ndio Best” written by Kenyan artist Gwaash featuring OnlyOneDelo and K4Kanali was also viewed as a major contributor to the phrase going viral.
Sina Maoni
In Uasin Gishu county on the day of voting in the August 9 general elections, a man's live interview with Citizen TV's reporter Chemutai Goin ignited a flurry of bizarre moments, especially after the man appeared to freeze like a deer in headlights when Goin posed to him any concerns on the electoral process.
"Can you kindly tell us your concerns over the election given that there were requests to postpone the polls over cases of insecurity? As a voter who is already in the queue to cast your vote, what is your opinion?" Goin posed.
There's already a contender for meme of the day!
????: @citizentvkenya #KenyaDecides2022 pic.twitter.com/98Cafullb6 — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) August 9, 2022
"Kulingana na mimi sina maoni. Sina maoni kabisa (I do not have any response worth offering. I really do not have anything to say)," he responded, sending the journalist and the crowd into laughter and turning the man into a national celebrity beyond the polls.
Kata Simu Tupo Site
Umar Iahbedi Issa alias Mzee Mjegeje is an elderly Tanzanian comedian who happened to drop a slogan that blew up in Kenya (Kata simu kata simu tupo site we don't like disturbance of the head you understand). He didn't even think it would become such a universally-beloved phrase, but it quickly caught fire anyway.
Like a molotov cocktail, it engulfed Kenya, roping in the young and old, prominent to the hoi polloi. The majority of online users adopted the phrase as it is being widely used in memes, videos, and also in political forums including the manifesto launch by Roots party leader George Wajackoyah.
This phrase could be used in any context. From telling your buddies the party has already started to telling your supporters the race to State House has been won.
Sema Dynasty Mbaya, Hasora Ataware
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta may be forgotten soon but he will definitely be remembered for his wry humour and sadistic sarcasm.
In one of his many addresses that drive crowds into laughter, Kenyatta mocked the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) campaign spearheaded by President William Ruto, mocking their 'hustler' slogan and using a very particularly amusing accent to drive his point home.
The room raptured in roaring laughter, adding to a long list of Uhuru's funny moments earning him the title of Kenya's king of memes before being dethroned by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. To date, the phrase still tickles anyone on sight.
Raira ni Msarendo
After Martha Karua was unveiled as the Azimio campaign running mate, she hit the ground running, trumpeting the Raila crusade to the furthest corners of Kenya.
With her trademark Ankara dresses and oversized glasses, Karua roared the Raila gospel, reminding all and sundry of her running mate's glittering promises to Kenyans if he was elected president in 2022.
Hence the "Raila ni Mzalendo" refrain. But a Tiktoker heard it differently and his version bounced off all four walls of the country.
Hiyo ni Uwongo
When a speaker at a public gathering in Nandi County decided to throw around falsehoods at a gathered crowd, he was immediately slapped with a resounding, "Hiyo ni uongo."
The speaker, attempting to defend the Government of the Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, took to the microphone and said, "As we talk, Governor Stephen Sang has released Ksh240 million for a bursary to the county."
Needless to say, the hungry crowd could hear none of that. And their reactions elicited the internet, with the phrase being juxtaposed to pretty much anything that was a plain, white-faced lie to Kenyans.
Minority Leader Junet Mohammed has always been a staunch supporter of Raila Odinga if not his side hustle of being the country's funny bone. During a rally in Kericho, Junet's confidence in a Raila election win saw him enthral the crowd with the phrase, 'Hii imeenda'.
He repeated it four times for good measure and the crowd, as usual, was enthused. Well, the win didn't really happen but the slogan remained.
What is special about this phrase is that Viral Tea unexpectedly turned it into a viral phrase when it shared the interaction between Foreign CS Alfred Mutua and SPM Buzz reporter Liz Jackson at State House, who also became a viral sensation.
"Hiyo imeenda..."
When Liz Jackson of @spmbuzzke met CS Alfred Mutua at State House...@LIZ_W_JACKSON#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/e8pxWRiPNG — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) November 10, 2022
Riggy G
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua became famously known as 'Riggy G', a nickname that went viral during the inauguration ceremony of President William Ruto on Tuesday, September 13.
Dubbed the new 'King of Memes', Gachagua replaced nicknames such as 'Jayden' or 'Uhunye' as Riggy G gained momentum during and after the ceremony. However, Viral Tea established that the nickname was coined during the 2022 deputy presidential debate.
Ivy Chelimo, a lifestyle influencer, content creator and law graduate from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) shared a post on Twitter which at that time read "Riggy G amekataa kutaja freedom (Riggy G has refused to mention Uhuru)" which was made to mean that Gachagua refused to mention Uhuru during the debate.
It began gaining traction as the days went by but became mainstream during Gachagua's hard-hitting inaugural speech at Uhuru's administration for leaving the economy dilapidated. Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) started using the 'Riggy G' nickname and the origin, being Chelimo, was identified, turning her into an online celebrity overnight.
Speaking during an interview on NTV's The Trend on Friday, September 16, Chelimo dubbed the 'shawry of nicknames' after being identified as the genius behind Gachagua's nickname, revealed that she decided to post about the nickname at that time out of bravery as the mere mention of a politician brings huge traffic on anyone's social media accounts.
It was not until the swearing-in ceremony that she was called to be informed that she was trending on the microblogging platform alongside Gachagua.
The nickname eventually drew Gachagua's attention and led to not just a face-to-face interaction between the two, but a job offer in the DP's office in the communications department.
Ivy Chelimo and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Monday, October 17, 2022. /TWITTER
