The Nairobi Comedy Scene came alive in May when out of the blues, Dave Chappelle announced a show on a random Wednesday. The conversations that followed this event shone a light of what has been an underground comedy scene in Nairobi since 2018. With over forty comedians working in the English urban comedy scene, it is only fair to further highlight some of the comics pushing themselves to take Kenyan comedy beyond borders. Comedy Culture has compiled two lists; Comics to watch 2025 and Headliners to watch 2025.
These lists were compiled with the help of comedy producers, comedy enthusiasts and renowned cultural practitioners with an in-depth knowledge of the comedy industry at the moment. It does not feature comedians who are not active or who haven’t been working this year. These lists reflect on what has been one of the best years for stand-up comedy in Nairobi as we look into what 2025 looks for the game;
Comic To Watch 2025
This List features eight comics who are relatively new to the comedy game but have shown great potential to keep rising in 2025. These are comics who have been doing stand-up for not more than four years.
Nelly’s growth in comedy reminds me of the tale of the Chinese bamboo. She has been around since 2022 but until last year, not even herself could have predicted the levels of success she was going to experience this year; But thanks to her work ethic and writing capabilities, she absolutely shattered the glass ceiling. With material that often borders on the dark, Nelly is a master joke-writer. And who knew she was such a brutal roaster? Her set at the Showmax roast of Butita was quite literally one of the best roast sets we’ve seen this year. Nelly’s first show of the year was when she took part in Punchline Comedy Club’s all-female festival in March. Since then, she hasn’t looked back. She has destroyed every stage that has been naive enough to have her on it. She killed at Punchline Comedy Club’s Halloween-themed show, Stories In The Dark and a month later, she earned her first international nod; performing for two successive nights in Arusha. What other milestones does she have her eyes on in 2025 you ask? Well, why don’t you grab a chair and maybe you’ll find out
The halal boy with the haram jokes, hailing from the safest county in Kenya, Abdi Mohammed’s comedy is as refreshing as it is dark. Laid back and unassuming off the stage, Abdi transforms into a different animal on stage. From practicing anilingus after an entire day of fasting during Ramadhan to liking to see women on top, no topic is off-limits to him. He took Part in Punchline Comedy Club’s Invasion where he represented Somalia, and also rightfully got a nod to perform at a Halloween-themed showcase, Stories in the dark. His career trajectory strongly suggests that 2025 might be the year he blows up.
Ciru’s rise has been meteoric to say the least. From the moment she first stepped on a stand-up stage in 2022, she has overachieved year after year, featuring in Punchline Comedy Club’s annual Distant Relatives Festival for two years running. Her often hilarious observations, friendly nature on stage and feel-good style of joke delivery have helped her achieve some of the milestones she has so far. But her biggest break yet came when she opened for Dave Chappelle in his Nairobi stop in May. It’s safe to say that wasn’t something that was on anyone’s bingo card when the year began. Not even her own. But open for one of the all-time greats, she did; and in spectacular fashion. Away from her stand-up exploits, she also wrote for Showmax’s police-based mockumentary series, Blue and Black. Ciru continues to be a mainstay at Punchline Comedy Club, and as the outfit continues to gain ground in the scene, Ciru is definitely one of the stars to watch out for.
Nathan Rerei is hands-down one of the best joke writers in the game. He specializes mostly in one-liner and two-liner jokes where he seems to have hit a formula that works wonders for him. One of his greatest influences is Jerry Seinfeld and you can see this influence in real time when Nathan is on stage. He joined the scene as a student lighting up stages, and even after graduating, he didn’t stop. He has traveled to cities such as Nakuru, Mombasa and Eldoret for comedy and continues to be one of the more prominent up-and-coming figures at the Nairobi Laugh Bar. If you enjoy well thought-out anecdotes, and hard-hitting one liners, Nathan Rerei is the guy to look for in 2025.
She might have only been in the scene for two years but make no Mistake, Trusilla isn’t a novice. What makes her so appealing is her relatability as a young mother struggling to raise a daughter in a chaotic city. She is a bundle of energy and comes off as very comfortable and commanding on stage; perhaps this could be attributed to her modelling past. She performed alongside South Africa’s Nick Goliath in October. Based on the work she has put into the craft this year, 2025 is looking really good for her.
Arguably the biggest name in comedy right now, Arnold Savior’s arrival into the scene was almost out-of-nowhere-ish; a-snap-of-the-finger-like; at least that’s how an outsider would see it. But make no mistake, Arnold has been around for quite a while, and the fact that he only began to blow up this year should not take away from the fact that he has put years and years of work into his craft. Arnold is not only a great crafter of jokes, but he is also an excellent joke-salesman. He is not afraid to be a clown; if more people are going to buy the joke that way. He can literally sing and dance himself into a Punchline. His material is relatable to a T, especially to a regular Kenyan citizen, and his online game is top-notch. With numerous shows including Punchline Comedy Club’s annual New Skool showcase and Stories In the dark, under his belt, coupled with a huge online following that he continues to amass, 2025 is definitely Arnold’s for the taking.
With a signature newsboy cap and a trench coat, Kinuthia broke into the scene with an electric performance at the Nairobi Street Kitchen in March 2023. He followed it up with another banger in June of the same year at Mama Rocks, Karen. A master of self-deprecating and observational humor, Kinuthia almost always looks like he is on his way to superstardom. His energy is infections and on his day, his stage craft is some of the best ever seen in these parts of the world. Despite taking a brief hiatus from comedy to focus on formal employment, he hasn’t lost his touch. He began to come back fully into comedy this year; a comeback that was rewarded with a performance at Punchline Comedy Club’s Invasion showcase in July. Since then, he has been a mainstay within the scene scoring a couple of hosting gigs. As he continues to find ways to balance his bank job and the stage, 2025 is surely looking good for Tommy Shelby from Wangige.
A master of impressions, and a great writer, Greg Wahome is definitely a comic to watch in 2025. His resume as far as the number of stages he has performed on might not be very stacked, but why would you even need a resume when you’ve literally opened for Dave Chappelle? His two-man act with Eric Lu-savali will no doubt be making a comeback next year.
HEADLINERS TO WATCH 2025
This list features seven comedians who have proven to be heavy hitters over time. From doing solo shows, to touring around Kenya and outside the country, these comics deserve all the attention they can get to enable them keep flying the Kenyan comedy flag high. These comics have been practicing the craft for more than four years and each has performed in at least one other country outside Kenya. They have material exceeding one hour on stage on top of being masters of the craft.
Known as the godfather in certain circles because of his pioneering work in the Kenyan comedy scene, Doug Mutai is the Master of wit. Despite being a millennial, his delivery of jokes is mostly from a perspective of an out-of -touch boomer with a fatherly touch to him, a style he has mastered to great effect. He began doing stand-up when he traveled to Canada for study and upon his return, he started Standup Collective, one of the most successful comedy outfits in the country. He boasts two successful comedy festivals through this brand. He later started the Nairobi Laugh Bar, the first full time comedy club in Kenya which has hosted some of the best comedians in Africa and beyond this year. He just recently completed a tour of the UK and has even greater things planned for 2025; for himself and for Standup Collective.
He has been around for quite a bit, hasn’t he? With more that ten years of practicing comedy in his resume, Amandeep is a true veteran in the scene. He started off at the famed Churchill Show, before breaking out as a solo brand; this turned out to be a prudent move as he has gone on to perform on some of the biggest stages in Kenya, India, and Uganda among other countries. A co-founder of the comedy outfit Chuckle Cartel, Amandeep is as versatile as they come; his material can be ‘fun and friendly’ at times but it also has the potential to take a twist quite fast; and more often than not, it does. It’s for this reason that he got a nod to perform at Punchline Comedy Club’s Halloween-themed show, Stories in the Dark in November. But that was by far not one of his best achievements of the year, not even close. He did a three-city tour of Kenya that ran from June to August, and also opened for Ty when he was shooting his comedy special in April. On top of that, he and David Macharia took their two-man act to Mombasa, before also performing in Voi. But the thing that stands out the most with Aman is his work ethic. He has been on literally almost every comedy stage this year, and his online presence is second-to-none. It’s for this reason that 2025 could be the year that sees him gain global recognition.
David Macharia often comes off as the bad boy of comedy, thanks to his brash persona, and his brutal heckler takedowns. Cool as a cucumber both on and off-stage, David has mastered the art of writing and performance in equal measure. 2024 has been a good year for David as it saw him record his long-awaited special David Macharia Vs the Boy Child which was also the subject of an MTV documentary set to come out next year. On top of that he performed in Voi, Kisumu and together with Aman, they performed their two-man act, Bubblegum, in Mombasa. He also took part in the roast of Eric Omondi. David has hinted at going even harder next year and that should be very exciting for any comedy lover.
George Waweru is one of the more accomplished yet low-key comedians in the scene. Whether by design or not, George’s demeanor is laidback. An excellent writer, he lets his jokes speak for themselves. His material is mostly observational but he has occasionally delved into family and relationships – Oh, and his adventurous trips to the coast. He has appeared at the Nairobi Laugh Bar several times this year on top of performing in Nakuru and Voi. He also wrote a sketch series called A Very Kenyan Sketch Show that will be airing on YouTube. He is currently starring in Showmax’s celebrity roast show, The Hot Seat and with new episodes coming up next year, George will be one of the comics to look out for.
Founder of Karura Comedy Club, and curator of such shows as The Comedy Jam, Emmanuel’s mastery of the craft is a thing of beauty. Apart from his wildly hilarious act outs on stage, he has the ability to milk a joke to its last drop, and then some. He has been on the road quite a bit this year performing in Kisumu, Voi and South Africa. Lately, he has been starring in Showmax’s newest celebrity roast show, The Hot Seat where he has served as the roast master for a majority of the episodes recorded so far.
Ty Ngachira is neither a stranger to the Nairobi comedy scene nor to comedy lovers having been around since 2018. The lawyer by profession took to standup comedy providing a fresh perspective with his observational humor that touches on Kenyan behavior. Termed as the “Future of Standup Comedy” by Churchill, his viral stand-up comedy clips further propelled him to the top. Ty boasts a TV show, TMI with Ty Ngachira that aired on NTV for one season in 2022. But 2024 has arguably been his best year yet; he recorded his first comedy special in April dubbed “Being Kenyan” at the Louis Leakey Auditorium, selling out two shows in one night – one more than Dave Chappelle. He also featured at the Nairobi International Comedy Festival this year and shot a pilot for his new show, “The Other Other News” which is yet to be picked up by a network. He made his directorial debut with a collaborative film project with Docubox East Africa that will premier in February 2025.
She broke into the scene in 2018, first as just a comic and later as the host of Fake Woke with Justine, a satire news show which has grown to become a trusted source of socio-political commentary and civic education. Her stand-up exploits have seen her open for some of the biggest names in comedy including Vafa Naraghi, Anne Kansiime, Hannibal Burress and Daliso Chaponda.
In 2023, she bagged an invite to perform at the Johannesburg International Comedy Festival. Justine has toured Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. She featured at the Nairobi International Comedy Festival and did a solo mini-tour of South Africa this year. Additionally she took part in the writing of Tukisonga, a TV series airing on NTV and K24, and was also named the newest member of The Big Picture, a news review show by African Uncensored alongside John Allan Namu and Tom Mukhwana.
By all means, do look out for shows where these comedians are performing in 2025 and go watch them live. There are weekly comedy shows run by Punchline Comedy Club on Wednesdays and Thursdays at Two Grapes Wine and Friends in Kilimani and Beer District in Westlands respectively. Standup Collective runs the first full-time comedy club in Kenya, Nairobi Laugh Bar, with shows every Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. You can read about everything that’s happening in the stand-up comedy world in Nairobi on comedyculture.co.ke for an even better understanding of the culture of comedy.
2024 was the year that showed that Kenyan comedy is ready to go global. And with more comedians going out of their way to put out their work, 2025 might just be the year that major networks like Netflix and HBO come knocking. In the meantime #StandupForTheCulture
