On the morning of Friday, September 20, I had one thing on my mind: finally experiencing just how steep Kingara Road really is. I’d seen a video online of a truck trying—and failing—to make it up the hill, reversing unintentionally as the vehicles behind it scattered.
With New Money, featuring Ruth Nyambura, Maina Munene, and headliner Vafa Naraghi happening at Nairobi Laugh Bar, which just happens to be on Kingara Road, I had planned to take a bodaboda for the full experience of the hill’s incline.
But fate had other plans. Despite a mostly sunny month, the skies opened up, and the rain came down hard on the evening of the event. My plan of experiencing the road by bodaboda was dashed, But not all was lost that night.
New Money was a stand-up comedy event that took place at the Nairobi Laugh Bar. It featured performances from Ruth Nyambura, Maina Munene as host, and was headlined by Vafa Naraghi, a two time award winning stand-up comedian, with a few surprise acts sprinkled in.
Despite the downpour, the night got off to a promising start.
Maina Munene – The host
Munene kicked off the evening as the MC, and two things stood out to me about his performance.
First, the way he set the ground rules—what made this different wasn’t how he did it, but rather when. He had an effortless ability to pick the right moments, allowing for a smooth, unobtrusive start to the evening. Secondly, through improv, he was exceptional at acknowledging the diversity of the audience.
The crowd had people from all over the world, and his playful cultural interplay made for some unexpected and funny moments that the other acts later tapped into.
Munene’s material, which included a lot of improv, balanced Kenyan humour (covering different parts of Nairobi) with jokes on current events, like the latest on Adani. He also ventured into edgier territory, weaving in some riskier jokes on relationships and sex, all while keeping the room at ease.
His combination of crowd work and “internalised” material made for an interesting set that helped settle in the audience —even with some of the more awkward, boundary-pushing jokes.
Titus Mutai – ‘Poster child of corruption’
The first unexpected comic was Titus Mutai, known from Highly Debatable Show, so I expected his set to skew political. But to my surprise, his act covered much more, from riffs on his name to his take on relationships, arguments, jobs, values, and even boda bodas.
His setups were on point, though his timing with the punchlines could use a bit more refinement. What worked against him, however, was the fact that the crowd was still settling in when he took the stage. Still, his material was strong, and once people were fully present, they responds was good.
Darren Collins – The wildcard
Collins, an American who’s clearly adopted by Kenyans, was the perfect comic to throw in the middle of the lineup.
After a strong opening, the rest of his set focused on bits that revolve around an outsider’s experience in trying to fit in with the everyday Kenyan life—whether it was navigating Rongai, figuring out how Kenyans think, or dealing with the challenges of getting a work permit.
Darren’s quirky, unpredictable body language gave the impression of nervousness, but his pacing was spot-on. It felt like his set had no strict structure, but the punchlines and taglines kept the laughs rolling despite some familiar bits. Like a person who has done this for a while, he closed with a particularly strong Manchester United joke.
Nyambura, a banker by day and queen of roast by night, will fool you with her laid-back, unassuming demeanour. The easy at which she engaged the crowd was just a camouflage.
Her comedic timing was razor-sharp, and she delivered punchlines with sneaky setups that hit hard and fast following it up with a string of taglines the kept the energy up.
She started by engaging the crowd to either size up who she was dealing with or make her material feel even more relatable, then went on to weave what she picked up from the audience into her set.
While there were a couple of weaker moments here and there, her set—centred on personal experiences like religion, tattoos, Tinder, and being a banker—was well thought out and tied together beautifully for a strong closing.
The thing about Nyambura, Mammito, Ciku, Justine, Shazz and the other female stand-up comics, their presence in the stand-up space is not just filling a quota—they have what it takes, they’re genuinely talented, standing toe-to-toe with their male counterparts.
Vafa Naraghi – The headliner
When I first saw the poster, I thought to myself “oh look Amandeeps long lost cousin from the south”. Turns out I was wrong—he’s of Middle Eastern descent, and this was his second time in Kenya.
The two-time award winner (I keep mentioning this because the weight of this statement was discussed in one of his bits) hit the ground running, wasting no time in diving straight into his set, spontaneous, turning his intro into an act, as if he’d already been mid-set when he took the stage.
Like Nyambura, he blended crowd work, improv with prepared material so seamlessly that it was hard to tell which was which, combining that with expansive tag lines made for some hilarious moments.
What truly stood out, though, was just how in touch he was with Kenyan culture. From referencing a small town in Kisii (one even some Kenyans may not know) to tribal stereotypes to familiar roadside vendors, he had clearly either done his homework or, more likely, had spent enough time in Kenya to fully grasp the nuances.
He touched on everything from his Middle Eastern roots to his experiences in South Africa, weaving his heritage into hilarious bits about dating and family expectations. His material on “new money” and the changes that come with success—like travelling business class and going to Europe—was a perfect nod to the theme of the night.
Naraghi’s ability to blend crowd work with the material he had prepared, while keeping up the energy and pace, was commendable.
Special shout-out to the elderly Indian couple sitting near the stage, who became part of some of the funniest and most heartwarming moments of the night.
Nitpicks
Munene’s crowd work was solid, his intros for the other acts could’ve been a bit more polished, I thought he should have gone all out like an aspiring politician introducing a established Kenya politician.
Additionally, for anyone who’s seen these comedians before, some of the material and bits may have felt a little familiar. Sure, it works well for a fresh crowd, but for those of us who’ve seen them a few times, it would’ve been nice to see more new material. Lastly, while the headliner touched on the “new money” theme, I wish it had been interwoven consistently throughout the night across all the acts.
Details
A few things caught me off guard—in a good way. The event promised three acts including the host, but we ended up with five. The late start due to the rain was frustrating, but it allowed those inconvenienced by the rains to catch most of the show, so it worked out.
We have seen this before and it’s nothing unique but after the show, Munene went around thanking everyone personally, which was a simple yet thoughtful touch.
Conclusion
Heading home, thought about the steepness of Kingara road taking a back seat, my mind remains fixated on one thing. That thing is adaptability and no I don’t mean improv. Every comedian that evening showed their ability to engage the crowd, seamlessly blend improv with prepared material, and deliver sets and bits that felt spontaneous, well thought out and engaging.
Despite some of the material being familiar, it was still a fun event and I assume that is exactly what the comics set out to give to their audiences.
