By Eddah Waithaka
MultiChoice Kenya, a Canal+ Group company, announces the upcoming premiere of Chamaa, a bold new local drama series produced by Phil It Productions. The show debuts on Maisha Magic on 5th October on DStv and GOtv.
The series joins MultiChoice’s growing slate of homegrown storytelling, offering audiences a raw and resonant look at modern Kenyan life through the lens of friendship, ambition, and survival.
Set in the fictional Gakoe Estate in Ruiru, Chamaa follows five women Lydia, Njambi, Halima, Cyndy, and Phoebe whose lives revolve around a simple merry-go-round chamaa that has long served as the quiet engine behind their public-facing lives.
When newcomer Phoebe convinces the group to transform their informal savings circle into a fast-growing Sacco, what begins as a lifeline out of debt quickly attracts the attention of a powerful political fixer offering a real estate deal too good to refuse. As the Sacco’s fortunes rise, so do the risks. When the money vanishes and a mysterious death follows, the women must choose between protecting each other and protecting themselves.
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“Chamaa is a story about the masks we wear and what it costs to keep them on,” said Philip Karanja, Director and Producer of Chamaa. “These are women Kenyans will recognise immediately the chef, the influencer, the pastor, the socialite because we’ve all met versions of them, or been them ourselves. What excites me most is how the chama, something so familiar and communal, becomes the thread that pulls their whole world apart. We wanted to tell a story that feels both intimate and unmistakably Kenyan.”
The series reflects MultiChoice’s continued commitment to investing in bold, homegrown storytelling that speaks directly to local audiences, giving Kenyan creators a platform to tell stories rooted in the realities and rhythms of everyday life.
“Chamaa is exactly the kind of storytelling we want to keep bringing to our audiences stories that are unmistakably Kenyan, deeply relatable, and unafraid to explore the realities beneath the surface,” said Nzola Miranda, CEO of MultiChoice Kenya. “Through partnerships with talented local producers like Phil It Productions, we continue to invest in homegrown content that reflects who we are, while giving our audiences more value, content and choice.”
Beneath its high-stakes plot, Chamaa holds a mirror to contemporary Kenyan life. The series explores the pressures of curated online personas, the realities of chama culture, and the widening gap between the lives people project and the ones they actually live. It tackles themes including financial independence and predation, corruption and the “wash-wash” economy, and the quiet cost of maintaining appearances in the social media age—all set against a backdrop of everyday Kenyan aspiration.
The series features a strong ensemble cast, including Joyce Musoke (Crime and Justice) as Lydia, Gathoni Njuguna as Njambi, Melissa Lesilale (Lazizi) as Halima, Makena Kahuha (Kina, Chocolate Empire) as Cyndy, Shirlene Wangari as Phoebe, and Wakio Mzenge as Mrs. Omollo.
Chamaa premieres on Maisha Magic Plus on 5th October. Viewers can catch new episodes every Monday at 8:00 pm on DStv Channel 163 and GOtv Channel 503.
