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Heat wave in Nairobi sparks social media jokes


A wave of heat-related jokes has hit social media over the past one week, driven mainly by rising temperatures across the country.

On some days, temperatures have hit 32 degrees Celsius in Nairobi.

Last week, there were reports that they were expected to rise to a high of 40C in Mombasa.

One of the most hilarious ones was a photo — shared on Facebook on Tuesday and Wednesday — showing two polythene bags of ice blocks attached to an instant shower heater head, the point being that the person who had put them there hoped that the ice would sufficiently cool the water in the shower.

Alvina Gachugu and Joyce Kimani also shared on Facebook a post about how people were airing their maize in the sun before taking it to the mill for grinding.

Kidogo kidogo, mahindi ishakuwa popcorn (gradually, the maize turns into popcorn),” they wrote.

A post on WhatsApp said: “Hii joto ni collabo ya Redsan na Jua Cali (this heat is a collaboration between [singers] Redsan and Jua Cali)”.

In one photo, a woman, apparently in Kisumu, is taking a siesta in a freezer. In another post, Allan Olingo said those who did not have fans in their homes might want to consider taking a motorcycle taxi ride to cool off.

There have also been photo-shopped images of bank notes, featuring a shirtless President Jomo Kenyatta.

In another posting, a bottle of water is added, showing Mzee Jomo Kenyatta taking a swig.

For me, however, the post that took the biscuit was one showing the Statue of Liberty, Washington DC, before and after the heat. In the first post, the statue looks fine in its flowing robes but in the next photo, the robes are off.

There was also another image, apparently taken in Malaysia, showing an egg frying after it fell on the hot ground.