• While some trended for the right reasons, others did so for all the wrong reasons
Less than 24 hours remain before we usher in the new year, 2022.
Coming off the global lockdown of 2020, 2021 was filled with plenty of memorable moments in the showbiz industry. Below are some of the topics and moments that caught the public's attention.
UGALI MAN
Charles Odongo went viral for his ugali-eating video. He wowed Kenyans by taking down the largest chunk of ugali you ever saw and with the precision of a watchmaker.
He took to social media, where he shared a video of himself eating the ugali as a crowd looked on.
He ate 5kg of ugali at once. And after trending, he was gifted a fully-equipped modern gym by a betting firm.
"I ate 5kg ugali on the spot with a sufuria full of boiled meat," he said.
Image: courtesy
‘NITAKUFINYA’
The craze was prompted by an on-camera argument between two men, Aaron Asiba 'Matendechere' and Charles Musyoka.
Matendechere ordered Musyoka, who was berating KPLC, to stop commenting on electricity issues as he was not an electrician, warning him, 'Nitakufinya'.
The two landed lucrative deals a few weeks after their video went viral.
They also received brand new motorcycles each and secured a deal with a local maize flour miller in which the two featured in an advertisement.
Image: courtesy
'WASH WASH’ BY TERRENCE CREATIVE
Terrence Creative took the country by storm with his humorous yet educative 'Wash Wash Bizness' series, one of the biggest comedy skits in Kenyan history.
In the series, he acted as Papa Freddie, a Congolese businessman out to con unknowing individuals of their money through suspicious deals.
This was a well-thought-out and produced series that kept Kenyans entertained towards the end of 2021.
The three-part series garnered a million views and allowed him to visit South Africa as part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s entourage.
Terrence could not hide his joy.
"Just landed in South Africa! I smile because it makes me feel happy knowing that God makes everything beautiful in his own time," he said.
"We are in South Africa to represent Kenya under Arts and Culture among other industries that will be exhibiting at #KesaExpo2021 an event that shall be graced by Kesa president Mr Moffat Andanje, the President of South Africa HE Cyril Ramaphosa and his excellency Uhuru Kenyatta among other delegates from across the globe. Am happy and here to learn from this great partnership."
Revealing that it was his first time boarding a plane for an international trip to South Africa, Terrence was thankful for the opportunity.
Image: courtesy
DIANA B
Diana Marua, now Diana B, debuted her rap career in late November, releasing two back-to-back videos that garnered more than 1 million views in days.
Days later, she made headlines after she alleged Willy Paul raped her.
"I have been crying since I opened up in the video; this was simply the worst day of my life and a horror moment to any woman who has come across rape or almost got raped," she said.
Willy Paul also went on a live interview where he broke down, claiming he is being attacked by fellow celebrities.
He said he is falsely accused of sexual misconduct while all he did was go on a date with Marua.
Image: COURTESY
EMBARAMBAMBA
The gospel musician from Kisii became an instant hit after videos of his outrageous stunts in music videos went viral.
From jumping atop cows to diving into muddy pools, Embarambamba captivated Kenyans with his stunts.
A few days later, a viral video of him dancing with women and men in a nightclub surfaced and his followers started questioning his faith as he identified himself as a gospel artiste.
'SIPANGWINGWI'
The phrase was made popular by a hit song of the same name by the trio of Trio Mio, Ssaru and X-ray.
Kenyans, including politicians, have been warming up to the jam, as its popularity gain made its way to the video-making platform TikTok, where it has been used for dance challenges, with many resonating with the dance tuned melodies and lyrics.
X-ray told Word Is they did not expect the song to be a hit.
Image: Courtesy: Pintrest
'SQUID GAME'
This sensational series revolves around a contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep financial debt, risk their lives to play a series of deadly children's games for the chance to win a 45.6 billion Korean Won. It has since become Netflix’s most-watched show ever with more than 1 billion views.
'FIRIRINDA'
'Firirinda' was a song originally done by Dick Wamunyonyi but took over the Kenyan interwebs this year.
Born off a 1986 Kikuyu Benga hit by the same name, it all of a sudden became the talk of town in gatherings and social media platforms.
The 'Firirinda' singer said he couldn't clearly explain how the song came back into fashion, only attributing its resurging popularity to the Lord.
MITUMBA MAN
Steve Opondo's video selling second-hand clothes while wearing a dress made him famous.
His passion for the job made it even easier for people in the industry to notice him. His videos were shared across social media and his life changed after he moved to Nairobi.
He recently made up with his mother after saying she forced him to refer to her as his sister to avoid being chased away by her second husband.