When I was recently surfing the internet, I stumbled upon an old crown advert, that made me realize just how many years have passed and how memorable the childhood of most 90’s to 2000’s kids was, maybe its rosy retrospection coupled with the cognitive bias that one’s generation is better but good Lord TV and radio was precious back in the day from advertisements, music, soap opera’s, Kenyan shows to cartoons, everything left a dent in our childhood memories and no matter our differences in opinion, if their is one thing Kenyans can agree on is that Television was way more precious back then. Let’s look at some of this TV shows that made our childhoods meaning.
Local shows
Some of the most notable local Tv shows that were a must watch otherwise risk not having something to talk about when you go back to school and consequently, your entire socializing ability were:
“Machachari” which was a popular show that aired on Citizen from 2008 to 2019. The show, mainly targeted children and young teenagers and quickly became a cultural phenomenon in Kenya. It followed the lives of a group of children navigating various challenges and adventures in their everyday lives.
With their catchy theme song and relatable storylines, which often addressed real-life issues faced by young people, such as peer pressure, family dynamics, and the importance of education they became a sensation to most people. The characters were diverse and well-developed, each bringing unique personalities and perspectives that resonated with the audience. Baha, Govi, Almasi, Stella, were some of the standout characters who became household names.
“Tahidi High” is a popular Kenyan TV drama series that aired on Citizen TV from 2006 to 2020. Set in a fictional secondary school, the show focuses on the lives of students and teachers as they navigate academic challenges, personal growth, and social issues. It gained widespread acclaim for its relatable storylines and strong performances, making it one of the most beloved TV shows in Kenya. Despite the show running till date the most iconic actors were:OJ, Freddie, Tanya, Shish, Mr. Tembo, Mrs.Morgan, Kilunda and Omosh . The storylines often tackled real-life issues such as peer pressure, drug abuse, and relationships, providing both entertainment and valuable lessons.
“Beba Beba” was a popular Kenyan TV sitcom that aired on NTV. The show was set against the backdrop of the bustling public transportation sector in Nairobi, focusing on the lives of matatu (public minibus) operators. It provided a humorous yet insightful look into the daily challenges and adventures of those working in this vibrant and often chaotic industry.
“Tinga tinga tales”, which was an animated series that aired between 2008 to 2011.The series is based on traditional African folk tales, each episode explaining the origins of various animals’ characteristics, such as why the elephant has a long trunk or why the lion roars. These stories are deeply rooted in African oral traditions, making the show both educational and entertaining
These are just a handful of some of the most memorable shows on Kenyan tv but some other notable ones are; Cobra Squad, Papa Shirandula, Inspekta Mwala, Auntie boss,Mali, Junior and Supa Sato are some of the most notable shows that kept as entertained.
The Beat
“The beat” was a popular show that aired on NTV from 2010 till 2018 where it came to a halt. It was a popular must watch show especially to young Kenyan teens and adults that aired every weekday from 5-6p.m airing some of the greatest Kenyan musicians and Mc’s who were vibrant at the time. The show gave the musicians a platform to expose their timeless music to most Kenyans especially during a time where the internet was docile. The show gave kenyan teenagers a sense of identity as they transitioned from childhood to adulthood(‘adole’), and despite not being as popular to the Kenyan parents, the show had a long lasting impact to both the musicians who got the chance to advertise their music and the audience who just wanted to have a feel good sensation. The show brought the spotlight to notable artist such as Nameless, Kleptomaniax,Amani, Red Sun, late E-sir, Sauti Sol, Avril, P-Unit among many more.
Soap Opera’s
This was another must watch to every kenyan even parents. They were most notably viewed in two segments one which was aired from 6-7p.m just right after the beat and was observably mostly played by Filipinos, as they all had common mentions of the city Manila(pretty sure I know this city better than Nairobi) and recurring characters who could be repeatedly seen in a number of shows. Some of the most memorable ones from the six o’clock segment are: Marmar, Dolce Amore, Until We Meet Again,Doble Kara, The Promise, Forever More e.t.c.
The second segment was the 8-9p.m, which was mainly dominated by mexican shows are as they were known Telenovela’s. They were so addicting that each households ensured they had prepared supper by 8pm so they can enjoy it as a family,apart from the awkward kissing scenes that made everyone busy or prompting the father to changing the chanel, they were really captivating . Despite, their predictable and storylines and catchy theme songs and hard to pronounce names(Alejandro), telenovela’s were undoubtedly a great way of bonding with the family. Some of the most memorable telenovela’s are: storm over paradise, In the Name of Love,Love Spell(Sortilegio), Mchacha Italiana are just some of the most memorable telenovela’s aired in Kenya.
Advertisements
Ads are usually boring, tiresome and disliked by most people nowadays, but back in the golden days you could watch five ads on a loop and still be entertained. This advertisements ensured longevity and memorability by effectively capturing the public’s imagination by blending creativity, cultural relevance, and emotional storytelling. Campaigns such as Safaricom’s “Niko Na” and Tusker’s “My Country, My Beer” have leveraged strong patriotic themes and striking visuals of Kenya’s landscapes and diverse cultures to foster a sense of national pride. Some of the most memorable advertisements are: Colours by Crown Paints, Niko na Safaricom, Kiwi, Peter Marangi(Dura Coat), Tumechill and One love(Trust).
These advertisements stand out not only for their creative execution but also for their strong emotional and cultural connections with the Kenyan audience. They effectively utilized storytelling, music, and visuals to create memorable and impactful messages.
Reality Tv
Although, we didn’t have half as much tv shows as we have now the most distinct ones are obviously Tusker Project Fame and Churchill Show, which are the closest things we had to reality tv. Tusker Project Fame or most notably known as TPF, was a talent show where east africans show cased their singing prowess and battled it out to the end for a whooping five Million Kenyan shillings and a one year producing contract. The eliminations,the fierce battles, harsh judgments(Judge Ian) and beautiful collaborations kept our weekends packed and kept Kenyans glued to their screens all through to the exhilarating finals where everyone waited for the big reveal. Some of the most notable participants are : Debal Inea, Patricia, Ng’ang’alito, Msechu, Christian, Amelina just to mention a few and most importantly the judges who guided them through it all(Judge Ian, Julian and Joachim), surely made the show spectacular.
Churchill show on the other hand was a comedic platform where different comedians from the country showcased their talent and made kenyan’s laugh out loud and ensured a good time. They also had a guest segment part of the show where they interviewed various guests through their cordial and entertaining host Daniel Ndambuki aka Churchill, which kept viewers engaged and satisfied from 8-9p.m. every weekend. Churchill surely produced and propelled most of the household comedic names to stardom and was and continue being a hallmark for comedic excellence.
cartoons and animations
Surely, no persons childhood is truly complete until they have binged on some unforgettable goofy cartoons and animations and back in the day we surely had a bucket load of cartoons/animated films that were funny, utopic, high spirited, goofy with a hint of teachable moments.
The weekend(especially Saturday) didn’t really feel complete until one watched a marathon of cartoons from Cartoon Network, NTV, KTN, Nick or Kids Co. This cartoons were not only entertained as they had impactful contributions as we grew up from harnessing our imagination, to molding our moral values, socialization and influence on culture and most importantly relatability to children and only children unlike the woke nonsense most cartoons have which might confuse and disrupt a childs perception of the world that can be observed in most recent cartoons and animations. Some memorable cartoons include: Sponge bob, Johnny Bravo, Kids nxt door, Courage the cowardly dog, Cow Chicken, The Wizel, Baby Huey, Pokemon e.t.c.
Animated films were also integral to each kid especially notable disney classics e.g the likes of Rapunzel, Cinderella, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Bambi and many more. Their delusional or rather idealistic story lines that always had a happy ending that made us believe that such as love, happiness, friendships and everything in conclusion were easily attainable and life is a bed of roses as long as you stick to doing the right thing and remain true to yourself. Despite, this each story had a unique aspect that was not only captivating but also teachable and most importantly nostalgic to each person that watched them.
Maybe it’s the rosy retrospection talking but surely our childhood was one of the best to have arguably existed and debatebly their is no generation that will ever top that yet.
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them”~andy bernard (the office).