Nairobi News

The common belief among some Kenyans is that Uji Power, a special type of organic porridge with several ingredients, boosts men’s sexual drive. The fact that it is sold cheap and easily accessible makes it a more enticing quick meal to have over junk food snacks or having to prepare food at home and carry it to eat later in the day.

At makeshift structures and small kiosks around the city, especially around OTC stage and Ronald Ngala street in Nairobi’s Central Business District, many customers- men and women alike- are often seen seated on stools and balancing calabashes or large mugs containing Uji Power.

The rare child is sometimes spotted seated among them as public service vehicles and pedestrians hassle and bustle around them in various degrees of rush.

Social media continues to be awash with claims that Uji Power works wonders for some men, some going as far as telling of how they cannot go a day without partaking of this local meal. One even went as far as branding this porridge as a “breakfast for comrades.”

On the other hand, another section of Kenyan bashed consumers of Uji Power for blindly believing the hype that it enhances libido and sexual performance.

“Uji power is another very useless thing that’s sold to gullible Kenyans. There is no power that you will gain even if you consume a whole drum. It will only help you get a suspended potbelly. If you want porridge, go to the market and buy millet, take to a posho mill, go home and ferment. If your friend, husband, boyfriend or brother takes this thing, he needs prayers,” said one Kenyan social media user.

His sentiments were supported by thousands of his followers online.

To understand what Uji Power is and if all the hype about it boosting libido and sexual performance had any truth to it, Nairobi News spoke to Ms Lillian Mutanu, a registered Dietitian at Mumina Wellness Solutions and the National Treasurer of the Kenya National Union of Nutritionists & Dieticians.

“There is no magical thing about Uji Power. It is just made from the combination of things sellers mix in (with flour) like sesame seeds, peanut butter; and chia, flax and pumpkin seeds before cooking it. All these provide a good supply of vitamins, minerals and iron that support sexual performance; zinc, magnesium, potassium, protein, energy and fiber that promote metabolic function and also have the plant proteins that actually improve the formation of nitric oxides which have been shown to help with erectile dysfunctions in males,” began Ms Mutanu.

Additional ingredients known to be blended in to cook Uji Power are grounded cassava, potatoes and pumpkin; as well as milk and sugar. There is no specific recipe as to what ingredients a cook might follow in preparing Uji Power.

According to Ms Mutanu, the general consensus among experts in her field is that Uji Power is not a bad meal for Kenyans to consume. This is because millions are suffering serious endemic issues related to malnutrition, under-nutrition and hidden hungers that come from inadequate intake of minerals, vitamins and small components such as zinc and calcium.

However nutritious the Uji Power meal might be, commercial sellers have morphed the porridge into a libido boosting myth among consumers while still touting it as a healthy, organic meal.

“First, there is no substantial scientific evidence that there is any link between Uji Power and boosted sexual health. This is because it is not easy to do a conclusive research based on the different recipes used by sellers for commercial basis but for those preparing it at home, a survey can be done to determine the link between Uji Power and boosted sexual libido. But that may take a long time.

However, a combination of the nutrients supply I mentioned earlier help with blood flow for most people with erectile dysfunction- and they can then maintain an erection. It is then that one will notice an improved libido and sexual performance. When you improve blood flow and pressure by taking foods that are rich in zinc, magnesium, potassium and other amines, you will see a change in the sexual performance of an individual consuming Uji Power. That aspect of supplying extra nutrients that support metabolic and reproductive functions in the body; as well as hormonal health- all these improve libido and sexual performance in both genders,” explained Ms Mutanu.

She went on, “On the flip side, and this is a discussion I’ve also had with my colleagues, there are some sellers who lace their Uji Power with Slidenafil, popularly known as the blue pill, a sexual enhancement drug. This is a bad thing because, for someone who may not have wanted to go down this route (taking sexual enhancement drugs) before exploring other options, the sellers are actually making them (customers) dependent on that drug as the body gets used to it- its like an addiction. Another thing, it has not been shown that the blue pill cures erectile dysfunction, it is just a temporary solution that promotes dependency and over years, consumers may need to increase the dosage as their bodies will already be used to it. This is quite unfortunate because you don’t know how the sellers will continue dosing the porridge.”

But what about the occasional child who accompanies their guardians in consuming this drink when on a jaunt to run errands and end up needing a quick energy boost?

“The danger of giving this to children, and I wish parents and caregivers can hear this, that not everything is supposed to be given to children, especially the street foods. As much as we glorify street food diversity in Kenya, we should understand that sellers will do anything to retain their customers. At the end of their day, their goal is not to maintain your nutrition or health, but to make sales. We can blame them because despite the economy being tough, they shouldn’t claim that what they are selling is natural products and you find kids consuming their products. That is so wrong and they need to tone down their unethical behaviors. This is a breach of human rights and such people should be arrested,” said Ms Mutanu.

At the end of the day, the children become dependent on the blue pill and run the risks of having allergy reactions associated with the unnecessary consumption of sexual enhancement drugs.

“Food regulation in Kenya is not the best in terms of standards but we are hoping- because we have raised the issues of street vendors exposing the public to harmful substances and Uji Power sellers are among them- so we are hoping that something will be done in the near future. The problem we have as Dieticians is on safety. Is the public aware of what they are consuming? Of what the porridge has been mixed with and in what amounts? What the public needs to understand is the importance of knowing what they are consuming- and should ask the seller what has been blended in despite being tired from the day and needing an instant energy boost. We can empower our consumers to first ask to know what they are consuming before partaking of the porridge, ” added Ms Mutanu.

A word to those who will still soldier on and consume Uji Power, whether they come across a genuine organic meal or one laced with drugs, believing that it solely boosts their libido and sexual performance?

“Sexual health is holistic and an improvement in libido and performance can be noticed properly when consumption of Uji Power is combined with other things such as exercising, eating a healthy diet and having a good sleeping schedule. However, one can end up getting stressed by the placebo effect (when a person’s physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a ‘dummy’ treatment) that comes with drinking Uji Power. In men, they are more relaxed because they’ve consumed something they believe can support them and this can be a contributing factor to boosted sexual performance. This placebo effect can also be a contributing factor to why people claim the sexual benefits of Uji Power.

The risks associated with overconsuming Uji Power can lead to several health risks such as weight gain, blood sugar and pressure imbalances, overconsumption of vitamins and minerals that can cause toxicity in rare cases, allergic reactions to ingredients such as peanut and milk if they are not aware of what they are consuming, blue pill health complications such as increased risk of cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks in both genders and poor dietary habits in favor of Uji Power. Other problems include kidney issues and formation of uric acid crystals as well as the development of metabolic disorders. Drinking Uji Power laced with drugs makes all these things worse,” concluded Ms Mutanu.

Will you still consume Uji Power?

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