Sukuma for two

In the chaos of Gikomba where chickens panic, sufurias sing, and “viazi tano kumi!” is basically a national anthem, Akinyi leans in to tell the juiciest “scandal” in the market: two widows, Njeri and Adhis, have fallen into a quiet, tender love that grows not with roses, but with extra sukuma bundles, shared thermos tea, and baskets lifted before a back gives in.

Of course, every love story needs a villain, and theirs comes wrapped in a Kamba accent and unlimited airtime: Kamene, the CNN of Gikomba, whose gossip has more salt than the Indian Ocean. She turns stolen glances into BREAKING NEWS, dowry into sukuma bundles, and romance into a ridiculous rumor cyclone, until the market realizes her noise is doing the opposite of harm. Her exaggerations become a shield.