MultiChoice Kenya has announced the premiere of Chamaa, a new Kenyan drama series that explores friendship, ambition, financial pressure and the hidden realities behind carefully curated lives.
Produced by Phil It Productions, the series will premiere on Maisha Magic Plus on October 5, with new episodes airing every Monday at 8:00 pm on DStv Channel 163 and GOtv Channel 503.
Set in the fictional Gakoe Estate in Ruiru, Chamaa follows five women, Lydia, Njambi, Halima, Cyndy and Phoebe whose friendship is built around a traditional merry-go-round savings group.
Their lives take a dramatic turn when Phoebe proposes turning the informal chama into a fast-growing Sacco. The move initially offers the women a way out of debt but soon draws them into a high-risk real estate deal involving a powerful political fixer.
As the Sacco grows, the stakes become increasingly dangerous. The disappearance of the group’s money and a mysterious death force the women to confront difficult choices as they try to protect themselves and each other.
“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.”
Beyond its central mystery, the drama examines issues surrounding Kenya’s chama culture, financial independence, corruption and the “wash-wash” economy, while also exploring the pressure to maintain appearances in the social media era.
The series forms part of MultiChoice Kenya’s wider investment in locally produced content and seeks to present familiar Kenyan experiences through a fictionalized story of ambition, money and survival.
“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.”
The cast includes Joyce Musoke as Lydia, Gathoni Njuguna as Njambi, Melissa Lesilale as Halima, Makena Kahuha as Cyndy, Shirlene Wangari as Phoebe and Wakio Mzenge as Mrs Omollo.
Chamaa premiered on Maisha Magic Plus on October 5 and is available to DStv and GOtv audiences, with new episodes scheduled every Monday at 8:00 pm.
