Top 10 best Kenyan TV shows

Kenyan TV shows have come a long way since the days of Tushaurinie, Tahamaki and Tausi. While some, like Vitimbi and Vioja Mahakamani are considered the longest running local TV shows, others fizzled out after some time. TV shows, that have captured our attention include; game shows, talk shows, news shows, sitcoms and drama. We now look at the most popular and, to some extent, best local shows based on Twitter trending analysis and an informal poll we did. We will be putting up an online poll for you to get a chance to vote for your best shows in the coming days. So here are the best TV shows:

10. Churchill Show

Ardent fans of Churchill show can swear the stand-up comedy show is the best thing national TV. But apparently more people watch its’ spinoff (Churchill raw) more than the main show. What started off as a stand-up comedy show has transformed to include interviews. This, and the emergence of other comedy shows, has led to the gradual decline of Churchill show. However, the show continues to draw millions of viewers to NTV and through the live road shows which will definitely keep the fans connected to Churchill, the person and the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RANil7elWZA

9. Tujuane

The ultimate blind-date show has captured the attention of the country where participants go on dates with millions of eyes watching on national TV. The show attracted a huge following when it premiered on KTN, pitting couples from different social-economic backgrounds. One of the most popular episodes – with over 650,000 views on YouTube – saw the lady ignorantly talk down to her date. Let’s just say viewers didn’t take that well, but the producers loved it. Tujuane moved to NTV then to Maisha Magic late last year. We are not sure if it will continue to be popular after moving to pay-tv but the concept still has potential for a lot of eyeballs.

8. Don’t mess with Kansiime

The Ugandan queen of comedy brings humor to the East African audience with her ‘drama queen’ character. Anne Kansiime is the typical YouTube star where her weekly online video clips attracted the attention of Citizen TV execs that saw the potential of the show for the regional market. Kansiime rose to fame due to her unique style of situational comedy as well as her creative personality.

7.  Churchill RAW

The standup comedy show hosted by MC Jessy is aired weekly on NTV and features various up-coming comedians shot in front of a live audience. The audience is kept thoroughly entertained with local content that is fresh and dynamic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-KOcou8fGY

6. Bulls Eye

NTV’s Emmanuel Juma – producer and narrator of Bullseye – is considered by many as the father of political satire. The show airs every Friday after the 9pm news and has a loyal following who have tuned in for the last seven years. Kenya’s comical politicians have provided enough content for the show, so we don’t see the show ending anytime soon.  With creative editing and interestingly titled episodes such as, ‘Just what the governor ordered’ and ‘Dialogue in the politicians vocabulary’, it’s no wonder that some of the episodes can get thousands of Youtube views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc7nFLrAjyM

5. Hapa Kule News

This satirical news, hosted by Fred Omondi, is the ultimate parody show that pokes everyday life situations in Kenya. The fact that they use sheng and Swahili resonates with most Kenyans. In fact, The Real Housewives of Kawangware was one of the segments in Hapa Kule until the producers saw an opportunity to spin-off #TRHK into a separate show. The producers/actors, including the talented Abel Mutua, are credited to the success of the two shows. Hapa Kule News has more than 15,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel. Not bad considering its less than two years old on KTN.

4. The Real House helps of Kawangware

Kenya now has its own version of the Real Housewives series, but localized into the ‘Real Housewives of Kawangware #TRHK’. This dead hilarious show chronicles the lives of house helps in Kawangware. The show, produced by Protel Studios and aired on KTN, is not only entertaining but somewhat a true reflection of normal lives of domestic workers. With noteworthy characters like Njuguna, Kalekye and Trufena who have to deal with the hard hand that life as dealt them as domestic workers, but it seems the humor makes up for their situation.

3. The Trend

The magazine show is hosted by the gregarious Larry Madowo where pop culture and the latest trends in Kenya and the world are discussed. Love him or hate him, NTV’s Larry brings a particular panache to the show, so we have to admit the success of the show is mostly because of his character. Last Friday, Larry pulled a unique move when he hosted Jeff Koinange in his show. This is a first on so many levels. Never before have we seen popular show hosts cross over to be another station to be interviewed. It was one of the best #TheTrend episodes we have seen so far. Other popular episodes included Vera Sidika after her skin lightening procedure. Pulling off a one-hour show is not easy, so it helps to have several interactive segments like ‘first world problems’ and ‘cat videos’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmLD5ztBEp4

2. XYZ

The show, now in its 10^th season, is created by Buni TV and is considered as Kenya’s best political satire, poking fun at Kenya’s political elite. The custom made life-size puppets allows the creators (led by acclaimed cartoonist Gado) to be versatile. The fact that XYZ has run for 10 seasons shows the consistency and popularity of the satirical show mocking politicians every Sunday on NTV. The various segments, including ‘political hits’ and ‘Keff Joinange’, add diversity to the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfvNRTY844k

1. Jeff Koinange Live

The popularity of Jeff Koinange Live can be attributed to only one thing: Jeff Koinange. The charismatic career journalist has a way of turning very boring and mundane interviews into heated debates by pitting opposing views on his ‘hot bench’. The one-time CNN international Africa correspondent and K24 anchor and host, has amassed a huge viewership due to the show’s diversity. We also have to give credit to the producers who bring great guests – actors, musicians, politicians, pastors, civil society, artists, and child prodigies. Jeff has space for everyone and has a way of bringing out unique stories from these individuals. On Wednesday’s, Jeff hosts political and business leaders to discuss current affairs on KTN. Motivation Thursday is often reserved for extraordinary guests with extraordinary personal stories including the late Dr. Myles Munroe. #JKL is popular because it has a wider target audience and is dynamic.