By Jim Mwanda
The aroma hits first—warm spices, roasting meat, and freshly baked wraps filling the September air at Two Rivers Mall. Nairobi’s food lovers have been flocking to the Shawarma Festival 2025 since morning, plates in hand and appetite in tow. But this isn’t just another food event; it’s a feast with a purpose.
For the first time, Shawarma Fest is pairing irresistible shawarma and live entertainment with a deeper conversation about mental health. Alongside the sizzling grills, you’ll find a “Great Wall of Expression” where guests pour out their thoughts in color and ink, and free therapy sessions tucked into cozy corners, offering safe spaces for people to talk. Families are laughing over outdoor games, music is keeping the crowd moving, and international food cultures—from Somali to Middle Eastern to Kenyan flavors—are creating a culinary mosaic that celebrates unity.
The organizers say this mix of food and wellness is no accident. Kenya’s young people and professionals are facing rising mental health challenges, and festivals like this offer a fresh way to break stigma and bring care into the everyday. With shawarma in one hand and awareness in the other, Shawarma Fest is proving that joy and healing can share the same table.
Covering the event has a plenty to savor: vibrant visuals of food and music, stories of resilience from the mental health sessions, and human-interest gems like Nomachain Ltd., one of the exhibitors making waves at the festival.
Gideon Gitonga, Chief Product Officer at Nomachain, spoke with infectious excitement about their involvement: “We are thrilled to be part of the Shawarma Festival at Two Rivers Mall. Today, we’re engaging residents of Ruaka and Nairobi at large with something special—anyone holding a Noma token in their wallet gets a free shawarma. But beyond food, we’re here to show how innovation can blend with community. At Nomachain, we finance home construction, offer rent-to-own housing solutions, and use blockchain tokenization to make property ownership accessible and globally tradable. With over 90% of Noma token holders outside Africa, we’re showing that Kenya’s real estate market can open doors worldwide. By working within Kenya’s regulatory sandbox and partnering with licensed trustees, we’ve built a compliance structure that safeguards both investors and developers. Our vision is simple: a more inclusive, transparent, and borderless future for real estate.”
As grills keep turning and conversations keep flowing, Shawarma Fest 2025 is leaving an impression far bigger than what’s on the plate—it’s redefining what festivals can mean for a city hungry for both flavor and healing.
In Summary:
- Unlimited shawarma meets mental health awareness.
- Event highlights include the Great Wall of Expression, free therapy sessions, outdoor games, family fun, and multicultural cuisine.
- Nomachain Ltd. spices things up with free shawarmas for Noma token holders and insights into their innovative real estate tokenization model.
- A blend of food, music, wellness, and technology is giving Nairobi a festival with lasting impact.
