Controversy, memes after 'Cucu wa Brian Chira' asks Kenyans to sit down and plan for her soft life

Cucu wa Chira, who famously shot into the limelight after the death of her massively popular grandson Brian Chira, who died after a freak hit-and-run accident in Kiambu, recently embraced TikTok's popular Live Feature where she has been livestreaming herself at her home, interacting with fans, sharing updates about her life and even tapping into the ubiquitous 'tap tap' culture prevalent on TikTok.

It is while she was at one of her now-viral Live sessions where she made an impassioned plea to Kenyans - please gather your finances and help me live comfortably.

She said: "(Kenyans), You need to sit down and decide how Cucu should live. You may even need to find some other place and construct a house for me. You know we have some slight troubles. Do the best you can. Visit me often, check on me. I need to feel like I belong to a family since I have entrusted you as my family too..."

The comments caught many Kenyans off guard, with many understandably taken aback by her brazen audacity less than a year after millions of Kenyan shillings were fundraised for her welfare.

Some Kenyans have also turned the appeal into comic relief, with many using the particular TikTok audio in their various promotional videos as well as using the urgent plea as comical motivation to go to work and afford Cucu wa Chira's expensive tastes.

"It's 5.30AM. I'm stuck along Thika Road's notorious traffic as I rush to the office to try and make Cucu wa Chira's life a little better. Kenyans... Amkeni! Cucu wa Chira needs your money!" someone joked on X.

"Cucu wa Chira amesema tukae chini tujue vile tutampea soft life. I guess I now have to seriously find a job," Muriithi Morgan humorously tweeted.

All jokes aside, popular TikTok personality Baba Talisha led the brigade of those voicing their disappointment with Brian Chira's grandma over the house built for her through crowdfunding.

Taking to his Instagram stories, Baba Talisha real name Faustine Lipuku, accused Chira’s grandmother of being ungrateful and misusing the funds raised by well-wishers.

"I feel disappointed seeing someone who has been helped by the online family, especially on TikTok, being so greedy and ungrateful. 8.4 million was collected. Less than a year later, 7.4 million is gone. Nothing to show," he wrote.

He added: “Saa hii imeanza kua narrative ya justice. No one in the history of fundraising has been helped like her but it was not just enough for her.”

His remarks came just days after Chira’s grandmother went live on TikTok to discuss the house he helped build for her and which, at that time, cost millions to put up. 

In a video, the seemingly ungrateful grandma was seen speaking with TikToker Obidan Dela, explaining her dissatisfaction with her current home and her desire to relocate.

"You see where we used to stay was nice. Where we live now is far. There is a boy who came to check on the electricity, and I was afraid they would be hit. It would take time before I sell this and get another house. You know how I saw this—there are containers that are built well. I don't want this area, Obidan. You know how smart this house is," she ranted.

While some have shared that Chira’s grandmother should be allowed to do as she pleases with the house, others argue that her request for an electric fence and a new location is unreasonable, given the help she has already received.

Media personality Mwalimu Rachel also weighed in, questioning whether such fundraisers encourage dependency.

"We are very fond of creating dependency. When we come out to help, people keep asking for more. If you give someone a house, next they will say they have no food, no job. Are we enabling dependants? If she wants to sell it, she should do so quietly. Once you give someone a house, it’s theirs," she said.

Amidst it all, Njeri has defended herself from her detractors, assuring Kenyans that the money that was raised is still intact and safely kept.

"I am not selling the house because I need money. I have food, hair, and clothes are not an issue. The money you guys gave me is still there. I have placed it somewhere safe. I can never remove it because of young Chira. He will study and go to university," she said.