This young man called Wangari Maathai 'that shawry for the forests' and Kenyans are in disbelief

She will be taught in schools and for years and her name will forever be spoken in great reverence.

But don't tell that to a few Kenyan 'cool kids' who are still in school. It is not the usual Kenyan who calls the celebrated social, environmental and a political activist a ‘shawry’, African American slang for girl.

But a certain 'cool kid' from Nairobi has sent Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) into a frenzy for being just that sort of Kenyan. 

I mean, he knows about Prof. Maathai, yes, as well as her work - was it stuff to do with trees or what? - but her name, not quite.

It all started when a TikTok video of the unidentified young-ish guy made its way to the Twitter streets, in which he is being quizzed on random facts about Kenya.

The video belongs to user @nena_na_roxie and is shot at what appears to be one of the upscale city shopping malls.

When asked about the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the guy stutters in thought before saying “it’s the shawry for the… forests. Anaitwa? Wangari… Wangari Maathai.”

He doesn’t seem to remember the year Prof. Maathai won the award: “ion know, 19-something…70s there, 80s?”

On what he thinks is the origin of the name Kenya, he says “I think it’s from the Maasai niggas”.

What are they teaching children in schools these days?

The clip has elicited all sorts of wild reactions from Kenyans: