Trending Words That Made It Into the Kenyan Dictionary in 2024

Every year, words and phrases emerge in Kenya that massively struck a chord with Kenyans during public discourse or over the online space. 

In 2024, this was no different as various words emerged, providing much-needed comic relief and conversational banter despite the myriad challenges that faced the country. 

Some of the catchphrases referenced popular politicians, events, songs, or even videos that surfaced online and ended up going viral. 

“Kasongo” / “Kasongo yeye”

The pick of the bunch was “Kasongo” or “Kasongo yeye,” referencing President William Ruto. Ruto is no stranger to nicknames, with “Zakayo” trending in 2023, and has even made light of the situation. In 2024, “Kasongo” made its entry quickly, gathering steam with Kenyans using the new name in various discourses.

The name “Kasongo” was derived from a song of the same name by the Orch Super Mazembe band. Initially a love song, the song took an unlikely turn, becoming a reference to President Ruto. Significantly, the term only popped up towards the end of the year but quickly managed to gain traction.

“Very demure, very mindful, very cutesy”

This term gained global traction after a TikTok video by content creator Jools Lebron went viral with people worldwide using it. The term basically means being mindful, being modest, and not doing too much. Kenyans quickly employed the catchphrase in their daily conversations, content creation, and online discourse. 

“Weka za kabej”

The term gained popularity this year, especially on X, where Kenyans jokingly solicit financial favours from their well-to-do counterparts to cover petty household expenses. The word “kabej” signifies the little amount that is generally asked for. A regular cabbage head ranges from as low as Ksh30 to Ksh80.

“Gen Z”

Gen Z gathered national recognition after spearheading the June-August anti-Finance Bill 2024 demonstrations. Generation Z/Gen Z/Zoomers is the generation of people born between 1997 and 2012. Gen Z became the unofficial opposition, developing a heightened interest in civic education and knowledge of governance systems. To some, this was the unofficial symbol of resistance, with anyone and everyone pinning any form of opposition against the status quo to being a Gen Z.

“Things are boiling nicely”

In the wake of the protests, the aforementioned phrase by political analyst Gabriel Oguda caught on as netizens used it to describe the growing magnitude of the demonstrations. Positive developments during the protests were tied down to the phrase things are boiling nicely.

“Leta number tumsalimie/ ndiyo hii number msalimieni kidogo” 

In regards to catchphrases that gained popularity in the year that has been, the protests were the gift that kept on giving. Adding to the list was leta number tumsalimie/ ndiyo hii number msalimieni kidogo where phone numbers of Kenyan politicians were shared across social media and citizens took it upon themselves to hold them into account over their leadership. The leaders bore the brunt with citizens “greeting” them in their droves. 

“Nimekumark/Kama umenimark like hii post”

Shifting gears from the protests, the dating scene also got its catchphrase for 2024. The term was mostly used amongst the younger generations in face-to-face conversations and social media. Building upon “manifesting,” the term nimekumark means that manifesting is taking longer than expected and it is time to take matters into my own hands. 

“Usiguse murima”

Despite the political tragedy that befell him, Rigathi Gachagua endeared himself to Kenyans by providing us with a catchphrase that provided comic relief and fodder for memes. Gachagua, in a bid to consolidate his Mt. Kenya backyard, instead gave us the phrase usiguse murima which Kenyans took and applied to different contexts in typical Kenyan fashion. Gachagua went on to be impeached, but his impact on the political and comical landscape is still ever present.

“Misheveve”

In case you didn’t know, the word misheveve was a blast from the past. A video involving a village chief narrating events leading to the atrocious acts committed by a disgruntled family member towards his parents brought out the word, which refers to pumpkin leaves.

Protus Wechuli Sifuna, a chief from Saboti in Trans Nzoia County, was recounting how a local attacked his father after he was not-so-impressed with what his mother had decided to prepare for dinner that night.

And that’s when he dropped the magic word ‘Misheveve’, saying it so cavalierly, so routinely, he probably did not know the amount of intense internet thunderstorms his word would cause years later.

In the viral video, Wechuli dramatically recounted the domestic dispute: “The young man asked, ”Mama umepika mboka gani leo?”

The mother responded, ”Nimeunda misheveve.”

He said, “Sitaki misheveve, nataka sarati.” 

“Then the son began biting the old man’s fingers, like he was chewing omena (sardines), while calculating how to subtract years from the old man’s life…”

The word quickly caught on amongst Kenyans who began to use the word in their daily conversations with some genuinely interested in what it meant. As expected, Kenyans began using the word for comical relief replacing “weka za kabej” with “weka za misheveve”.