Nairobi News

Once upon a time, all bodies were applauded. Big was beautiful, slim was fine, average body was healthy and so forth. And then Hollywood happened. Followed by Korean beauty standards.

Suddenly, slim figures were the in thing until it wasn’t. That was until Hollywood decided slim-thick was the body females out to achieve. Thank you Kardashians, maybe not?

As this slim-thick phenomenon continues to sweep across the world, Kenyans have not been left behind in spending millions of shillings to achieve this look – or something close to it. Either not content with their bodies or facing medical issues, below are some Kenyan celebs and influencers who went under the knife to achieve the body type they felt they deserved:

1. Vera Sidika

Queen Veebosset here ‘was the first one’ to shock Kenyans with how much surgery she underwent and the cost of it all. In 2014, she uploaded photos of herself bleached to a lighter shade from head to toe. In these same photos, she also unveiled her new chest, having undergone reconstructive surgery to increase the size of her breasts.

Also read: Vera Sidika, Brown Mauzo celebrate second anniversary

At the time, she claimed it cost her Sh 15 million to have both procedures done. It was also rumored that she had her butt increased to the size it is today. In August 2022, she returned to announce that she had her veneers done to the tune of millions but would not reveal the actual amount of money she allegedly spent.

2. Tanasha Donna

The Kenyan singer would have people that she worked for her body as part of her new life resolutions after breaking up with Tanzanian megastar Diamond Platinumz but that backfired in her face when she was exposed for not paying for her cosmetic surgery.

Donna underwent surgery to transfer fat into her backside to make it bigger after saying she did not like her backside as it was; and flaunted it on social media for a while until Instagram influencer Risper Faith exposed her for not paying the hospital for the operation.

Also read: Tanasha Donna ‘back in the market’ after Diamond Platnumz heartbreak

According to Faith, Tanasha Donna was supposed to document the entire process of getting ready for the surgery, having it and the post-surgery period as part of her advertising the clinic that did the work on her. However, Donna bailed on the deal and was told to pay for the surgery instead. She refused as well. Risper said Donna owed the clinic Sh 850,000 and is still yet to pay for her butt.

3. Risper Faith

Before linking up Tanasha Donna and the clinic, Faith also had surgery at the same place. She spent Sh 450,000 to get rid of the baby fat via liposuction in her mid-section after years of struggling with it. However, she said she was not content with the outcome as her tummy was not flat as she’d hoped despite eight liters being suctioned; and is planning to undergo a mini-gastric bypass surgery which will cost her Sh 850,000.

4. Kate Actress

In May 2022, the actress revealed that she had undergone a procedure to introduce a gastric balloon into her stomach that would limit how much food she consumed. The cost of this surgery was pegged at Sh 300,000 in her attempts to curb obesity.

She revealed that she was classified to have class one obesity going on two; and has since been hitting the gym religiously to trim her figure after “feeling like the elephant I saw in the Ark movie.”

Also read: I am 5kgs down: Kate Actress shares her weight loss journey

“I know this is not a quick fix. For the past six months I have been at the gym and there was just no change. It’s not that I don’t like my body, I don’t feel healthy,” said Kate in an Instagram post.

5. Willis Raburu

Men are not immune to wanting to look a certain way either. Citizen TV presenter Willis Raburu also revealed he’d undergone a gastric bypass surgery to help him shed the 164 kilograms he’d been living with for years.

Also read: Willis Raburu: I spent Sh900,000 to lose my weight

The surgery cost him Sh 900,000. The 35-year-old anchor said he opted to have surgery to save his health after work in the gym proved futile. He revealed that any weight he shed off returned twice as fast and he was not doing well because his blood pressure and cholesterol increased.