Actresses Nyokabi Macharia and Nice Githinji featured in new Netflix show as Kenyans rant about 'Kenyanese'

The wildly popular series has now reached Kenya and other countries as it takes a closer look at how kids around the world experience puberty.

The new season landed on Netflix on October 20, which was revealed in a date announcement trailer that also gave fans their first glimpse of popular US rapper Megan Thee Stallion's 'Hormone Monstress'.

Created by Andrew Goldberg, Nick Kroll, Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, Big Mouth season 7 sees best friends Nick Birch and Andrew Glouberman and other teens get ready to take on high school.

The season begins with the teens finishing up their last year of middle school at Bridgeton Middle School before moving on to a new school.

The season begins where the penultimate season ends: the cast of pubescent middle schoolers arrive at high school exploring the PDA-filled halls and participating in a classic food fight.

It also takes an international angle that sees cast drawn from various countries around the world and whose characters dive into the tropes associated with their respective countries.

When a girl in India gets her period for the first time, her new hormone monstress (Sofia Ashraf) sings a Bollywood-inspired song about the excitement that comes with being a "Badi Baddy."

And in Kenya, Sharon (Nyokabi Macharia) looks forward to her first ride aboard a matatu, especially now that she's developed breasts - "Let's squeeze ourselves into the matatu with those matitties!" says her hormone monstress, played by Nice Githinji — but Shame Wizard Asha (Lupita Nyong'o, reprising her role) convinces Sharon she's disgracing her family with her "slutty" behaviour. 

It's only after Sharon's grandmother (also Nyong'o) encourages her to celebrate "the sexiness of her womanhood" that she's able to overcome her shame (and a few rude comments from Don Cheadle) and return to the matatu with her head held high.

Kenyans who have watched snippets of the show, especially on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to point out their discomfort with Netflix’s decision to call the popular street language Sheng, 'Kenyanese'. 

"Kenyanese!?? Netflix, you need to behave! You literally have Kenyan actors in the show! Even they couldn't tell you what language that is? Really!?" a miffed viewer asked. 

By the release of its eighth season in 2024, the series will become Netflix’s longest-running animated series. 

It’s won a pair of Emmys and, according to co-creators Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin, and Andrew Goldberg, prides itself on waxing wise about pubescent trauma.