“There’s nothing fake about The Real Housewives of Nairobi,” says Season 1 cast member Susan Kaittany and if photos from the official launch of RHONairobi are any indication, she is right.
RHONairobi, which debuts today on Showmax, follows the personal and professional lives of a fabulous group of women in Kenya’s capital and is the eighth official Real Housewives franchise in Africa after Johannesburg, Durban, Lagos, Cape Town, and Pretoria, and the recently-launched Gqeberha and Abuja.
In addition to Susan, Season 1 stars Minne Kariuki, Lisa Cristoffersen, Sonal Maherali and Vera Sidika.
Showmax treated guests to a screening of the RHONairobi premiere at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club and according to the streaming service, the new season can be summed up in three words: drama, luxury, and shade. The event was hosted by Amina Abdi Rabar and was attended by the cast, members of the press, Eugene Mbugua and his production team at D&R Studios, as well as representatives from both Showmax and MultiChoice.
“What we have just watched is going to shake Africa,” Minne told the press, with Susan adding “There’s nothing fake about The Real Housewives of Nairobi.”
Vera, for her part, started filming the series at five months pregnant and assures fans of the franchise they will not be disappointed. “But we really did this,” she said. “Nairobi, you’re not ready.”
RHONairobi cast
Below, meet The Real Housewives of Nairobi and get to know the women before diving in to Season 1.
Sonal Maherali
Sonal Maherali is a luxury influencer, fashion collector and entrepreneur. She established her niche through luxury vlogging in 2010 and the mother of four has since founded Simba Maharani, a luxury clothing and shoe line. Maherali is also an advocate for mental health awareness.
Susan Kaittany
Susan Kaittany is a serial entrepreneur and owner of Posh Palace Hair Studio and Spa and Polished, with the latter being a luxury fragrance and skin care shop. The mother of two left her law profession behind to pursue modelling and travelling before venturing into lifestyle and beauty entrepreneurship.
Minne Kariuki
Minnie Kariuki is an actress and entrepreneur, she is also married to Jaguar’s former manager and businessman Charles Muigai with whom they have two daughters. The youngest of the five housewives, Kariuki is sassy, bold and unapologetic about who she is. Currently, she is also starring in the Showmax Original drama series Single Kiasi.
Lisa Cristoffersen
Lisa Christoffersen is an interior designer, author, business owner, rally driver and luxury safari curator. Christoffersen is the founder of Lioness Rally, the first women-only rally team in Kenya, and Lifestyle Nairobi, an artisanal space in Nairobi’s diplomatic hub of Gigiri, featuring an art gallery, restaurants, a spa, organic shops and fashion houses.
Vera Sidika
Vera Sidika is a media personality and entrepreneur. Married to singer Brown Mauzo, she is one of Kenya’s most talked about celebrities and alongside her entrepreneurial ventures into the Spa and Herbal Tea industries, Sidika has more recently expanded her talents to music. She has one daughter, with one more child on the way.
Nairobi clearly does it in style and it looks like RHONairobi will be forging the path for future Housewives series to come. From what we have heard, this edition does not disappoint.
The Real Housewives of Nairobi premieres today, February 23, only on Showmax, with new episodes releasing every Thursday.
