From Azziad to club Loft...5 moments that defined Kenya’s COVID era

Among the many stringent stipulations that the Kenyatta administration dished out included a 6PM dusk-to-dawn curfew, closure of restaurants and nightclubs, social distancing and, as time went by, a national lockdown which saw counties segregated and movement highly curtailed.

The abrupt change in everyday normalcy, social etiquettes and recreational activities suddenly thrust Kenyans into confusion, with many unable to easily adjust into confinement and an inability to interact and move freely, whenever they wanted and to wherever they wished.

Being locked up in homes for dreary hours, and being cut off from socialization, meant that people had to improvise and find alternative ways to entertain themselves, even with the crushing restrictions.

At around the same Covid season, alot quickly happened and captured the imagination of a helplessly bored Kenyan population, as many turned to their smartphones and TV sets to make sense of the excess time they suddenly had on their hands.

Here are FIVE things which defined Kenyans' social life during COVID.... 

1. Azziad Nasenya

One random dance back in March 2020 almost broke the Kenyan internet, capturing everyone, young and old and catapulting the protagonist to stratospheric levels of never-been-seen before fame.

While idly dancing along to the smash hit 'Utawezana', Azziad did not have the slightest idea of the kind of national pandemonium her waist would cause. Those few seconds of her gyrating her hips, as she smiled seductively and twinkled at the camera quickly went viral, knocking off the internet and shooting her to instant superstardom.

As millions watched, re-watched, shared and commented on the video, her phone number got leaked to the public leading to a scary avalanche of text messages which would lead to her phone jamming and the need for a self-imposed cellular blackout.

Azziad's 'Utawezana' dance had suddenly galvanised the entire nation, as everyone gloated over the video, transfixed on this bubbly girl with flaming hair, a tiny outfit and a gorgeously luscious beam.

Five years later, everyone remembers where they were, what they were doing and how they were dressed when Azziad Nasenya first went viral. It was a culturally historical moment - one that solidly defined the Covid era and one that truly shook the very foundations of the internet.

2. Club Covid with Xtian Dela

Covid nights were mostly spent indoors, with Kenyans unable to leave the house and hit the nightclubs. Stuck in the humdrum rhythm of their homes, and with nothing to spark their minds, something godsend happened - Club Covid. This was basically an Instagram Live hosted by Internet personality Xtian Dela and one which was characterised by lewdness, lechery, X-rated antics and coarse language.

These Live sessions would involve the host (Dela) inviting Instagram users to join him on the Live as they jammed to music, exchanged carnal banter and then dissolve into insane levels of degeneracy, as entertainment easily morphed with salaciousness, capturing the masses and becoming a must-attend.

Against the backdrop of shameless self-promotion, and augmented by US rapper Tory Lanez' own sessions, Xtian would use the platform to line his pockets, receiving hundreds of thousands of shillings in donations from idle Kenyans stuck in their homes, glued to their Instagram screens, tongues stuck out.

3. The LOFT

While the entire country endured a party lockdown, with virtually all nightclubs shut down indefinitely, one nightclub remained open and ready for business. The Loft, located at Garden Estate, just a few meters from Thika Road's Mountain Mall, was the ultimate party spot for anyone yearning for that club experience characterised by massive crowds, shisha smoke, unfiltered music, a LIVE DJ set and, of course, the pleasure and exposure of the full clubbing atmosphere.

Unlike all other nightclubs, especially in Nairobi, The Loft remained defiantly and unapologetically open, attracting thousands of fun-starved revellers, dishing out unchallenged entertainment and making millions in sales in a matter of hours.

On any given day, The Loft was always packed to capacity - with the gents settled into their leather couches, the ladies puffing away and the DJ working the night into a maddened frenzy.

It didn't matter what day it was or what time it was. The Loft remained open. And fearlessly so. Alot of rumors started going round... Some claimed it was operated by some powerful barons in Uhuru Kenyatta's government. Others claimed a top cop called the shots. It didn't matter. The Loft remained open for business. And boy, did they make a killing!

4. Park And Chill

With social interactions diminishing by the day, Kenyans had to find ways to gather and make the most of it. Curfews would begin at 6PM anyways and there was no reason for people not to organise day parties, gather and engage in daytime revelry as they looked forward to drive home early - but drunk and contented.

Ever the ingenious lot, Kenyans started raiding open-air wastelands and private gardens for what they called 'Park And Chill'.

The most popular of these arrangements was the Evergreen Garden along Kiambu Road where thousands of cars would line up at the entrance, pay some Ksh. 500 and then drive into a piece of daytime bliss, surrounded by lush greenery and a cacophony of distorted tunes from hundreds of portable Bluetooth speakers.

It was the ultimate thrill - the classic defiance to a government attempting to keep humans away from each other.

5. Lockdown Sessions

Stuck in the house and with very little to do, Kenyans started turning to YouTube to feast on whatever hot thing was going on at the time. Seizing the moment, some creative fellas cooked up a weekly DJ marathon they aptly called 'Lockdown Session'.

These chaps, led by radio personality G-Money, used YouTube as their platform to dish out themed DJ mixes, releasing episode after episode and quickly winning the masses.

From this effort, DJ Grauchi was born, becoming the dominant force of the Lockdown Sessions as he revolutionised YouTube deejaying and created a virtual nightclub for millions of bored Kenyans.

Every Saturday, Kenyans would arm themselves with their favourite booze, ready to wash away the tediousness with a freshly-dropped Lockdown Session, as Grauchi gruffly growled, "Wake Up! Wake up!"