MultiChoice’s Showmax is set to premiere a new Kenyan crime drama series, Pepeta, on the streaming platform.
The streamer recently held an exclusive watch party of the eight-part series at Nairobi Street Kitchen in Westlands hosted by Amina Abdi Rabar.
The event had the cast in attendance, including Brahim Ouma, Malik Lemmy, Avril Nyambura, Lwanda Jawar, Dedan J. Onyango, and director Vincent Mbaya, crew members and the press.
The series is based on the life of former footballer Harun ‘Rio’ Wathari, who’s from Kibera. It captures the dreams and realities of the youth in Kibera, known for churning out the top football players in the country.
Speaking about the cast, Vincent Mbaya, the show’s director, said, “The first thing that attracted me to this story is that it’s based on real-life events. So I was sold the moment I heard about it. A big thank you to Shoutout to Harun ‘Rio’ Wathari because it’s not easy to tell your life story and allow people to come in and show it to the world.”
“It’s a courageous thing, and his story is important, and I think what we’ve done on this show will shake the industry,” Vincent shared.
Dedan Juma, one of the lead actors playing Zeze, shared a heartfelt story of how he got the role a day after he had lost his mother and how his mother got him involved in theatre to save him from a life of crime.
In the series, Zeze is a gang leader who’s grown up in the streets and knows only one life – how to be a gangster.
“It’s like I’ve lived Zeze’s life, and I always knew that if I ever get a role like this, I would do justice to it,” said Juma.
The crime series is produced by CJ3 Entertainment and directed by Vincent Mbaya, with Damaris Irungu, Charles Ouda and Abigail Arunga as writers.
Pepeta joins other Showmax Originals like the political thriller series County 49, the thriller series Igiza, the police procedural and legal drama Crime and Justice S1 and S2, the drama series Single Kiasi and the coming-of-age film Baba Twins.
Pepeta premieres on Showmax on 24 November 2022, with new episodes released every Thursday.
