Murima & Phrases That Defined Kenyans' 2024

Following his New Year's speech, the president, accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga sang the chorus of the popular song that has found a life of its own on the social media space with Kenyans coining the song to emulate the head of state. 

Murima

Despite being impeached as Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, who took the internet by storm thanks to his nickname 'Riggy G', gave Kenyans a catchphrase that will not go away quickly in 2025.

Gachagua while warning politicians against interfering with Mt Kenya politics, gave us the phrase bora usiguse murima which Kenyans took and applied to different contexts in typical Kenyan fashion.

Of the most popular is the term murima babe, referring to women who come from the Central and Mt Kenya regions of the country.

Gen Z

Generation Z/Gen Z/Zoomers is the generation of people born between 1997 and 2012. Gen Z dominated Kenyan headlines in June thanks to the protests led by the youth against President Ruto's punitive proposals in the Finance Bill 2024 and the governance in his administration.

Used anyhow by political figures trying to maintain their image, Gen Z became the unofficial opposition, developing a heightened interest in civic education and knowledge of governance systems. To some, this was the unofficial symbol of resistance, with anyone and everyone pinning any form of opposition against the status quo to being a Gen Z.

This was after President Ruto, in his bid for a broad-based government, incorporated allies of Raila Odinga into his Cabinet and plucked some who were closely associated with former President Uhuru Kenyatta for a 'super broad-based government'.

Salimiwa (Leta number tumsalimie)

In regards to catchphrases that gained popularity in the year that has been, the June-August protests were the gift that kept on giving.

Adding to the list was leta number tumsalimie/ ndiyo hii number msalimieni kidogo where phone numbers of Kenyan politicians were shared across social media and citizens took it upon themselves to hold them into account over their leadership. The leaders bore the brunt with citizens “greeting” them in their droves. 

It was not just leaders as time went by...journalists, celebrities, and even sports people both locally and internationally were not spared, with Kenyans sharing their contacts on social media...especially after they were responsible for disappointing them.

Anguka Nayo

The hit song by Wadagliz, a rap duo consisting of Kantel Mdagliz and MannaZ, was released on July 3, 2024, and became the official anthem of the anti-government protests in the country.

The song was initially composed for party lovers but was widely played and shared by Kenyans when President Ruto rejected the controversial Finance Bill 2024 and dismissed the cabinet.

On the X platform, users made the phrase go viral by creating hilarious memes and ridicule videos. Other netizens used the phrase to demand changes in the Kenya Kwanza administration.

They Will Not Believe

This phrase was coined by policy analyst and social commentator Gabriel Oguda as he criticized the Kenya Kwanza government. Netizens picked up the phrase to call out people and the government, especially on controversial issues.

However, one has to go back as far as 2022 when Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) boss Francis Atwoli predicted that Kenyan Kwanza supporters wouldn't believe their eyes should Raila Odinga be declared the president. A video showed the COTU boss stating that people won't believe the results of IEBC as they had anticipated Ruto to lose the elections.

Atwoli was one of the staunch supporters of Raila, who severally dismissed the possibility of the former premier losing the election. " Wengine watavunja television, they will not believe, they will not believe," he insisted.

Inject

This catchphrase became widely popular in 2024, especially among drama-loving social media users who used it to escalate or add humour to situations. The slang was also coined by Oguda in his sarcastic critiques of the Kenya Kwanza government, further cementing its place in online discussions.

At the height of the anti-government protests, Kenayns used the slang to pile pressure on the President Ruto-led administration to drop the infamous Finance Bill 2024.

Kunifish Kumalo

The slang was also coined by MC Zediambo and is taken from the Swahili word 'Kumaliza,' which means to finish. It went viral on social media after being used by Ngwethe TV.

The phrase is also used in the abarntone song Finish Kumalo by Tipsy Gee, Spoiler, and Soundkraft.

Nimekumark/Kama umenimark like hii post

Shifting gears from the protests, the dating scene also got its catchphrase in the latter stages of 2024.

The term was mostly used amongst the younger generations in face-to-face conversations and social media. Building upon "manifesting," the term nimekumark means that manifesting is taking longer than expected and it is time to take matters into my own hands. 

Kudonjo

The catchphrase is derived from the Luo word 'donjo' which means to enter. The slang also means to enter or to arrive and in some cases, it can be used to mean something interesting.

The phrase went viral in 2024 after it was used by Ngwethe TV. The slang was also used in songs such as 'Dance ya Kudonjo' and 'Kudonjo Kudunda'.

Afande please

The phrase gained popularity at the height of the anti-government protests when there were countless arrests, abductions, and kidnappings of protesters by the police. The arrests raised concerns among Kenyans, who questioned how the police were able to arrest almost everyone on their radar.

Kenyans realized that some of the security officers were hiding in plain sight and interacting with civilians without being detected.

The phrase 'Afande please' was therefore coined to discourage any surreptitious movements by the police, who would say the phrase to suspicious people who asked about their whereabouts. The phrase even found its way onto T-shirts.