Nothing Good Lasts Forever: 5 Popular Trends That Died A Typical Kenyan Death… And You Miss Them (Photos)
In order to last, one must evolve; these trends failed to evolve and Kenyans buried them in forgotten archives.
They used to be the ish trends in their time but as time elapsed, technology rendered them irrelevant replacing them with something better.
As what are these forgotten trends?
1. Simu ya Jamii
Long ago when Nokia 3310 used to command a sense of flair and class like an iPhone, folks at the bottom of social hierarchy used to make a call using Simu ya Jamii.
There were no smart phones, typical feature phone were expensive for the middle class and the poor to even dreaming of owning one.
Just like M-Pesa, Simu ya Jamii stalls mushroomed all over the country making it easy for every tom, dick and harry to make a call.
The entry of cheap China phone marked the death of Simu ya Jamii!
2. Kenya Bus’ double decker coaches
They were equivalent to the current pimped matatu that have screens and booming sound systems that produce deafening crescendo.
Kenya bus’s double decker coaches dotted the city becoming synonymous with Nairobi just like yellow cabs are to New York.
But they were faced out as time passed, double decker buses died a typical Kenyan death.
3. Maziwa ya Nyayo
Kenya’s second President, Daniel Moi, came up with ‘Maziwa ya Nyayo’ to inculcate Nyayo philosophy in the country.
Free milk was distributed to primary schools across the country to make pupils wax lyrical about the President.
The government finally got ‘broke’ and decided to put an end to Maziwa ya Nyayo and use the money for other purposes.
4. Quail eggs
About two, four years ago, quail eggs became a sensation after Kenyans hyped the nutritional benefits of the then precious egg.
Some even claimed quail egg that some properties to repress cancerous cells. The rush for quail eggs saw a crazy upsurge of prices prompting some to start rearing the wild bird in hope of taping into the profitable market.
Quail eggs even found their way to supermarket shelves. But the demand for quail eggs subsided and all over sudden the supply outstretched the demand and that marked the end of quail egg rush.
5. ‘Face Me’ Matatu
Who can forget those old Peugeot pickups that were infamous for stuffing people in the passenger compartmet?
The worst part is that the headroom was so small that those who didn’t have seats had to bend while holding a safety metal that stretched the entire length of the passenger compartment. No wonder folks in those days had problems with their backs.
The dawn of vans and strict Michuki traffic rules saw ‘Face Me’ matatus shoved off Kenyan roads.
6. Pen pals
Before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all sorts of online networking platforms, Pen pals was the marketplace for chatting with people you didn’t know or met.
People used to write to friends oversees during the era of Pen pals, the post office was a vital part of Pen pals as letters were precious as today’s DMs, and other messages on social networking sites.
Kenyans turned their backs on Pen pals with the onset of internet which made everything easy.
