The award-winning Shuga franchise is making a highly anticipated return to Kenya with its latest chapter, MTV Shuga Mashariki, set to premiere on May 13th. The Shuga franchise is an edutainment initiative led by behavioral change organization MTV Staying Alive Foundation (MTV SAF). It first aired in 2009 in partnership with PEPFAR, the Kenyan Government, and the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation (HFG) as part of a campaign to promote healthy sexual behavior and attitudes in young people. At the time, Africa was in the throes of the AIDS epidemic, with upwards of 1.4 million people succumbing to the illness each year. Despite receiving criticism from older Kenyans for its sexually explicit scenes, the series became a hit across Africa for its compelling depiction of the lives of young people.
Beyond its educational component, the stylistic quality of Shuga’s writing, direction, and performances set new precedents for television production in Kenya. It was also, notably, a young Lupita Nyong’o’s television debut, in the lead role of Ayira. In 2013, after two successful seasons in Kenya, the show’s production moved to Nigeria and eventually South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire— with each following season embracing the regional cultural specificity of the respective country.
This new season, MTV Shuga Mashariki, boasts an all-Kenyan crew and cast, underlining the strides the nation’s television industry has made in the decade since the show’s premiere. Continuing Shuga’s legacy of cultivating budding on-screen talent, the cast unites a young and diverse ensemble, from seasoned actors like Makena Kahuha, from Subterranea’ (2024) and’ Country Queen’ (2022), to first-timers like radio personality Mariam Bishar and online sketch comedian Wilson Muchemi, who will both be making their TV debut. The directorial team is helmed by veterans of TV and film, June Ndinya, Mkaiwawi Mwakaba, and Likarion Wainaina. “MTV Shuga Mashariki is a celebration of Kenyan talent and storytelling,” says MTV-SAF Executive Director Wame Jallow in an official public announcement. “This production is truly Kenyan at its core, ensuring that every narrative is authentic and deeply rooted in the experiences and realities of Kenya’s youth.”
Designed to inspire social reflection and reform, MTV Shuga Mashariki is an unfiltered coming-of-age story following a group of university students as they navigate the trials of love, identity, mental health, and sexuality under the pressures of economic hardship and social and familial expectations. Issues like reproductive health, gender norms, sexual consent, and collective youth organization are at the forefront. The new season is part of Surround Sound Kenya, a 5-year initiative with Shujaaz Inc. to curb the dangers of Kenya’s harmful gender norms by creatively incorporating health messaging into media narratives aimed at youth 15-24.
“Over the last decade, Kenya’s community of CSOs and campaigners has achieved major progress in enshrining gender equality in Kenya’s legal system. However, over the last six months, as we’ve begun our work together, both girls and boys across Kenya have consistently described how restrictive gender norms are holding them back from the future they want,” Wame says in another statement. “The horrifying rise in femicide and data sets on everything from access to education to reproductive health underline the scale of the work that’s left to be done.” According to the Africa Data Hub, more than 600 women have been victims of femicide in Kenya between 2016 and 2024, and between 39% and 47% of Kenyan women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime—some of the highest rates in the world.
This horrific state of affairs is upheld by chauvinistic attitudes that go unchecked even in the most public and formal settings. Last January, when thousands of Kenyan women peacefully took to the streets to call for an end to femicide, there was a palpable paucity of male allies in their midst. Some men showed up for the sole purpose of antagonizing women protestors. Meanwhile, prevailing sentiments from pundits and politicians alike often place blame on victims. Senator Tabitha Mutinda’s suggestion that the murders of young women are a result of their own obsession with money landing them in unbecoming situations with men. These realities underscore the urgency of initiatives like MTV Shuga to foster and entrench healthier attitudes around gender relations among Kenya’s youth before the insidious seeds of the status quo take root in the next generation. “We know this isn’t about quick wins,” Wame says, speaking at the exclusive Nairobi premiere last month. “It’s about creating deep, long-term, and meaningful impact. Through the Surround Sound Kenya program, we aim to drive better health and educational outcomes for young people across the country.”
The new season is set to premiere in Kenya on Citizen TV on May 13 at 11 PM EAT, airing weekly on Tuesdays, and internationally on BET. It will also be available globally on MTV Shuga’s YouTube channel starting May 14, with new episodes every Wednesday at 8 PM EAT.
