English Urban comedians to watch in 2025
By Rajab ZawadiNairobi’s comedy scene came alive in May when celebrated American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle while on transit to Rwanda, out of the blues, announced he would host a random show in Nairobi.
The sudden show announced less than 48 hours before D-Day, caught many Kenyans by surprise. Many expressed regret at being unable to attend the comedic icon’s maiden performance due to the abrupt ticketing. Despite the tickets being priced at Sh7,000, they were sold out in just two hours, filling the 303 capacity of Louis Leaky Auditorium.
The conversations that followed Dave Chappelle’s event highlighted the growth of Nairobi’s English Urban comedy scene since 2018.
That night also offered a platform to several fast-rising and perhaps little-known English urban comedians who got the nod to curtain raise for the American legend.
Going into 2025, we look at some of the relatively unpopular Ubran English comedians who have been outstanding this year and show great potential for the future.
to continue to rise in 2025. These are comics who have been doing stand-up for no more than four years.
This compilation also took into consideration comedy producers, comedy enthusiasts, and renowned cultural practitioners with in-depth knowledge of the current comedy industry.
CIRU MWANGI
Ciru’s fast appeared on stage in 2022 and has gone from strength to strength, performing at Punchline Comedy Club’s annual Distant Relatives festival for two years running. Her biggest break came when she opened for Dave Chappelle at his Nairobi stop.
Away from her stand-up exploits, she also wrote for Showmax’s police-based mockumentary series Blue and Black.
NATHAN REREI
Nathan Reirei is touted as one of the best joke writers at the moment. He specializes in one-line jokes. A one-liner is a joke that is delivered in a single line that is always pithy – concise and meaningful.
Rerei says one of his biggest influences is Jerry Seinfeld and you can see it in real time when Nathan is on stage.
TRUSILLA LORRAINE
Has been doing comedy for two years now. Her jokes storytelling is pegged on her experiences as a young mother struggling to raise a daughter in a chaotic Nairobi city. In October she performed alongside South African Nick Goliath in Nairobi.
ABDI MOHAMMED
For Abdi, his Islamic faith informs most of his jokes. The ‘halal boy’ as he is known among his peers always comes with the haram jokes. Relaxed and unassuming offstage, Abdi transforms into a different character onstage. From practicing anilingus after a full day of fasting during Ramadhan to liking women on top, no subject is off-limits to him. He took part in Punchline Comedy Club’s Invasion, where he represented Somalia, and was picked to perform in a Halloween-themed showcase, Stories in the Dark.
NELLY WANGECHI
She’s been around since 2022, but until last year, not even she could have predicted the level of success she would experience this year. Gifted with jokes writing skills, a majority of her material often borders on dark humor.
Her set at the newly streaming Showmax comedy show, the roast of fellow comedian Eddie Butita was one of the best-applauded roast sets. Nelly’s first show of the year was at Punchline Comedy Club’s all-female festival in March. She performed at the Punchline Comedy Club’s Halloween-themed show, Stories In The Dark, and a month later, she got her first gig outside the country performing for two nights in Arusha, Tanzania.
KINUTHIA SK
Known for his signature newsboy cap and trench coat, Kinuthia alias ‘Wangige’s Tommy Shelby’, burst onto the scene with an electrifying performance at Nairobi Street Kitchen in March 2023. He followed it up with another outstanding performance at Mama Rocks, Karen in June of the same year. Kinuthia’s best bet is his mastery of self-deprecating and observational humor.
Despite a brief hiatus from comedy to concentrate on his banking job, he made his comeback this year with a performance at Punchline Comedy Club’s Invasion showcase in July. Since then the banker has been a mainstay on the scene, picking up several hosting gigs as well.
GREG WAHOME
A master of impressions and a gifted joke writer, Greg Wahome is a comic on the rise. His outings this year may not be very impressive in terms of the number of stage performances, but he has lent his joke-writing services to many of the active comedians in 2024. His best highlight however remains to be the curtain-raising for Dave Chappelle. His two-man act with comedian Eric Lu-savali was also outstanding.
ARNOLD SAVIOR
You may have seen a few viral videos of Arnold Savior’s comic strips on TikTok.
Until this year, only a handful had put a face to his name, and many would argue that his arrival on the scene came almost out of nowhere.
But Arnold has been around for a while. The fact that he only started to blow up this year should not detract from the fact that he has put years and years of work into his craft. The law student’s first stage appearance came on The Churchill Show after six years of unsuccessful auditions. He then moved on to English stand-up comedy.
Not only is Arnold a great joke-maker, but he is also an excellent joke salesman. He is not afraid to be a clown if it means more people will buy the joke. He can sing and dance his way into a punch line.
“My face also speaks for me. I’m very good at facial expressions and very creative. When people need facial training for jokes, they usually come to me. I’m also a good storyteller, so I use those two skills for my stage performance,” he is quoted as saying.
This demeanor has also earned him several MC gigs this year, platforms he has used effectively to deliver witty quips.