Nairobi News

Vera Sidika is the original socialite in Kenya. She is the OG having busted into the scene decades ago and introduced Kenyans to a different style that women can live. She was glamourous, splashed money across the world as she globe trotted, owned the latest luxurious items and homes.

After people got over their shock at the kind of life Vera lived and flaunted on mainstream and social media, some women wanted to be her while some men wanted to be with her.

Over the years, her lifestyle gave birth to several more socialites and influencers – rich, middle class and the struggling alike – who mainly gained online fame. Whether rich, middle class or struggling, today there are many young women (and some older) who addictively show off their shiny lives on social media. Among those who clawed their way into this kind of life is Instagram influencer Amber, born Faith Makau.

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At one point, Amber was part of the same social circles as Vera Sidika. They had a friend in common but upon her passing, Amber publicly attacked and hated on Vera over a myriad of unconfirmed allegations, pitting the two women and their fans in a vicious online war of words. At the end of the day, Amber Ray was overwhelmed and told off by Vera’s fans for trying to take down Vera when she would never attain the socialite levels Vera has.

Amber Ray never backed down and continued to insult and shade Vera (as is her modus operandi in attacking those who have no love for her), dragging Vera’s husband, Brown Mauzo,  into the fight (Mauzo is Amber’s ex boyfriend) and taking hits at her lifestyle. She categorically stated that she hated Vera and would never shy away from saying that in public.

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However, despite the public hate, it would appear that Amber is a lowkey fan of Vera. She has been taking pages out of Vera’s socialite playbook and when called out for it, attacks her critics. Nairobi News lists a few times Amber copied Vera’s style below:

1. The baby shower drama – Vera claimed that Amber copied her baby shower and held it first to show the public what she can plan. Vera said that she had hired someone to provide service at her baby shower and one of Amber’s friends hit up the service provider for all the details and told Amber Ray all about it. Vera then said Amber rushed to host her baby shower earlier knowing that Vera’s would be unveiled a week later when an episode of The Real Housewives of Nairobi aired. The episode was shot weeks in advance. True to form, when Vera’s baby shower was aired on TV, it was an exact replica of what Amber had done, proving that Amber stole Vera’s ideas for her own baby shower.
2. Love for Range Rovers – Vera has always been a Range Rover girl. She was among the first socialites in the country to own and popularize a Range Rover and no other socialite apart from Anerlisa Muigai owns a Range Rover. Que in Amber who said she is attracted to people who drive Range Rovers. She does not own one but her baby daddy does, and her ex lover gifted her a Range Rover a day after she and her baby daddy broke up and called off their engagement (and later re-united at the baby shower). She also drove a Jeep belonging to her ex married lover and it is unknown if she owns any car.
3. Baby Names – Vera stunned Kenyans when she announced she was pregnant. She went on to give birth to a baby girl whom she named Asia Brown. Fast forward to over a year and a half later, Amber gave birth to her daughter on May 15, 2023, and named her Africanah. It is literally taking a page out of Vera’s play book by naming her baby after a continent as well.
4. Skin bleaching – Vera delivered an even bigger shock to Kenyans when she emerged with bleached skin, making her several shades lighter. She said it cost her Sh15million to have the full body procedure done abroad. Amber was among those who followed in these footsteps because she too went ahead and bleached her skin. It was reported that Amber Ray took supplements and used bleaching oils to make her skin lighter too.

Do you know of any more instances that Amber Ray borrowed a page out of Vera Sidika’s playbook?

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