We Mzee: 10 most popular Kenyan slangs and catchphrases circulating on microblogging site X

The community, which used to go by the name #KOT, meaning Kenyans on Twitter, has gone head-to-head with entire countries, multinational media giants and some powerful personalities in a bid to protect the respect, honor and sovereignty of their country. In almost all the cases, Kenya emerged unscathed.

The #KOT community has continued to multiply exponentially over the years - it is segmented into various tiers depending on the topics, themes and personalities involved.

For instance, we have Car Twitter, Chokora Twitter, Twitter A, Pun Twitter, Football Twitter, Locust Twitter and various other groupings which make up the unbeatable international social media phenomenon that is Kenyans on X.

For such a conglomerate to continue flourishing, dismantling opposition and maintaining it's pan-African lead, words, catchphrases, slangs and terminologies have been coined to specifically communicate a message effectively and wittily.

The origin of some of these words is public knowledge. Some phrases, however, have mutated over time or have been borrowed from other forms of media to become bonafide X parlance. 

Here are 10 of the most popular Kenyan slangs and phrases which have dominated X over the last one year.

1 . We Mzee

The phrase is obviously borrowed from the no-nonsense Vioja Mahakamani judge who used it liberally during her interactions with wrongdoers on the legendary KBC courtroom drama. Whilst attempting to call a suspect to order, Judge Lucy Wangui would say, "We Mzee...". The phrase has now found a life of it's own on X. Many users apply the phrase when calling out their peers on the platform for either making a controversial tweet, expressing unsettling opinions or even displaying flirtatious behavior publicly. And despite it's connotations, you can be as young as 18 years old and a Kenyan on X will still hit the you with a "Wee Mzee" phrase.

2.Kabej

Some Kenyans on X have formed an unpleasant habit of regularly soliciting for financial favors to cover petty household expenses. These X users normally target well-to-do compatriots who they plead with for monetary favors, saying, "niwekee za Kabej". The phrase has now morphed into a day-to-day wording where X users use it to send small amounts of money to their friends. "Weka za Kabej", is basically an X colleague asking you to throw them some Ksh. 100 for a quick food fix. Or a cup of Keg beer. A regular cabbage head can cost as little as Ksh. 80 bob. You can now do the math.

3. Greatness Tupu

This phrase is used to describe a thing or product whose effects are 100% satisfactory. If a Kenyan on X, for instance, falls in love with a burger, shawarma or chicken platter at, say, a restaurant along Kiambu Road, they will end their praises with, "Greatness tupu". It doesn't have to be food, though. A Kenyan on X who prefers older women or curvaceous women may also describe them as "Greatness tupu". Tumbukiza meat after a night out? Greatness tupu! The feeling after reading this article? Greatness tupu!

4. Driver, nishukishe hapo (Alight me there)

This phrase is used by chaos-loving tweeps who use it to whip up drama and draw attention to an online confrontation. Sensing that something may be headed to disaster, or maybe after coming across a series of hate tweets flying across the timeline, X users will say, "Driver, shukisha hapo!" The phrase is normally followed with "Hapa ndio kuna vita" with accompanying memes of violence, chaos and uncontainable drama. David Ndii and Edward Sifuna are locked in a bitter intellectual showdown? Driver, nishukishe hapo!

5. Finya, Bado Kanapumua

This is yet another phrase used to encourage X users to keep up the violence and double their attacks on an opponent. Unlike many other social media platforms, fights regularly break out on X. And sometimes, it gets unbearably messy. Drama-loving X users apply this phrase to add fuel to an already worsening situation. Keen on milking as much disaster as possible, users encourage one party to exert as much pain on their opponent, saying, "Finya, bado kanapumua!". It's an outright call for fatalities.

6. Clouds are gathering (The Fear is Gone!) 

This phrase was coined by social commentator and columnist Gabriel Oguda who has relentlessly piled the pressure on the Kenya Kwanza government while also consistently exposing the myriad of ills in the Ruto administration. Oguda, a fervent critic of the Ruto government, normally used the phrase to highlight Kenyans' dissatisfaction with President Ruto's policies. He also uses it to sound the alarm on tough times ahead, also to mean that Kenyans are not afraid to speak out and bravely call out their leaders.

7. Mjengo

This word is more popular with a select group of Kenyan X users. The types championed by popular X personality Polo Kimani. The phrase basically means "hustle". When a Kenyan on X tells you, "wacha niende Mjengo", they don't necessarily mean they work at a construction site. They're basically saying they're off to work - and it could be anything from a blue collar job to selling boiled eggs at Kenya Archives. "Mjengo" is a euphemism for hustle. And we all report to a Mjengo. Even if you run a law firm.

8. Malisaaaaaa

Just like with "Dereva, shukisha hapo", Malisaaaaaa basically means to fully destroy an opponent. It's a corruption of the Swahili word "Maliza". After they stumble upon a heated exchange between two X users, Kenyans will quickly identify the one with the most lethal attacks and egg him on, saying, "Malisaaaaaa!" This is to notify you that you are doing well, so far, and that if you keep up with the tempo, you might as well win the fight. Always take that phrase very seriously. It's a compliment.

9. Paste

As obvious as it sounds, paste is a phrase the X community uses to ask someone to share their phone number. A generous community, the Kenyan X world usually sends small amounts of money to each other for absolutely no reason at all. You could just be having a good day and share that Elon Musk has paid you the X revenues. Some chaps may come to the comment section to ask you to buy them two cold ones. You're a good chap. You don't worry too much about it. You just tell them, "Paste!" and they will immediately share their phone number. I'm feeling generous right now, anyone wanna paste?

10. We will be there, no matter what

This phrase was also made popular by social commentator Gabriel Oguda. In his almost-hourly attacks on the government, Oguda has always made sure to point out the flaws in the Ruto administration and explicitly expose the malaise eating the folks in power. He has consistently rained on the Kenya Kwanza parade, wasting no time in poking holes into the administration while at the same time sensitizing Kenyans on the duplicitous nature of the leaders they elected. Fervently and steadfastly, Oguda has always maintained, "We will be there no matter what!". It has now become a national political rallying call.