•County 49 premiered on Thursday 25 August 2022
Kenyan political thriller County 49 has broken the record for the most first-day views on Showmax in Kenya.
The political thriller series was the most-watched premiere ever for any title in Kenya when it debuted on August 25, claiming the spot previously held by 'The Real Housewives of Lagos'.
Set in the fictional Bwatele county, County 49 follows Nerimah Mkung, whose role as the new governor is put to test when she’s taken hostage by a mysterious group who’ve had enough of the county government’s corruption and are now demanding what's rightfully theirs: their money.
Whether she lives or dies lies in the hands of the very capable disgraced officer Malik Maka, whose estranged wife has been kidnapped alongside the governor.
Wakio Mzenge plays the tough-talking Bwatele’s first female governor Nerimah Mkung, a character she says was inspired by strong Kenyan female leaders like Martha Karua, Charity Ngilu and Mekatilili wa Menza.
The series is produced by Kibanda Pictures, made up of 'Supa Modo' and 'Crime and Justice' director Likarion Wainaina, producer Millicent Ogutu and 'Morning After' and 'Country Queen' co-director Brian Munene and actor-producer Bruce Makau. Munene also doubles as the show’s writer.
At the series' secreening, when asked if it was deliberate that the show was being released in an election year, Likarion said, “I’m not a politician, and it coming out at such a time has nothing to do with politics. This is simply a story that needed to be told because the issues the show tackles affect all of us.”
The series also stars Nyokabi Macharia, Ainea Ojiambo, Maqbul Mohammed, Martin Githinji, Peter Kawa, Benson Ojuwa, Nick Kwach, Emmanuel Mugo, Angela Mwandanda, Sam Psenjen and more.
It is a 13-episode series.