On the evening of November 21, stand-up comedian and actor Generali, real name George Mbuto, took to the Kenya National Theatre (KNT) stage to perform A Time to Twist the Knife.
The one-man comedy special opened with historical storytelling about the KNT, the Norfolk Hotel, and the Central Police Station.
He wanted to explore the history of these three spaces and honour women who were at the forefront of the liberation struggle. From there, the show flowed into a stand-up set in which he tackled political and social themes through original jokes.
Generali stayed true to his signature style of addressing serious issues with humour—a thread visible in his earlier shows Shit Proof, Taste of the Nation, and A Thousand Cuts for a Million Laughs.
But merging storytelling with stand-up wasn’t easy. He admits he had long wanted to tell stories yet hesitated because he didn’t want to confuse his audience, who primarily know him as a stand-up comedian. In his storytelling, he states a fact, builds an opinion around it, and infuses humour.
He now creates mature content, political, personal, and social, to suit his audience’s expectations.
“People have gone from the days of tribal impressions and mimicking politicians to substance. They want content that addresses life, aspirations, and struggles,” he observes.
For Generali, the theatre, not clubs, is his medium of choice.
Comedy clubs such as Nairobi Laugh Bar have, for years, offered intimate spaces where comedians test material in quick, rotating line-ups. But theatres are increasingly drawing comedians ready to claim the stage with full-length solo productions that define their artistic identities.
Although expensive, comedians like Bashir Halaiki, Arnold Saviour, Larry Asego, Ty Ngachira, Mammito Eunice, Adan Abdi, Amandeep Jagde, and John Ribia continue to push forward.
Another stand-up comedian, Maina Munene, has also embraced the stage with The African Dream Comedy Tour. The five-city journey—from Mombasa to Lamu, Kisumu to Nairobi, and Eldoret—was the biggest project in his five-year career, supported by the Hii Stage 2 art funding programme by Alliance Française Nairobi and the French Embassy in Kenya.
Munene began performing in 2020, making his debut at the Punchline Comedy Club Show. He has since taken the mic in Uganda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Still, nothing prepared him for the challenge of a solo Kenyan tour.
“We don’t have the right infrastructure to host comedy tours. For example, in Eldoret, people didn’t understand how to curate a performance space for a stand-up show. We had to use a simple table,” he says.
It took him five years to develop the full material for The African Dream, a show that cohesively traces different stages of his life. The performance was recorded and will be screened publicly at Alliance Française in January 2026.
“It asks what an African dream looks like. For me, it tells my story as a dreamer from Laikipia trying to make stand-up comedy work in a country with limited touring infrastructure,” he says.
This year, Bashir Halaiki also stepped into the theatre spotlight with his first stand-up special, Halaiki, staged at Alliance Française Nairobi. Before that, he honed his craft in clubs and gained visibility through Comedy Riot, the 2023 Showmax special, and the club-based series The Roast. His theatre debut was meant to introduce his art to a wider public.
“When I did my special, I realised people came specifically to see me. With clubs, you’re in a line-up; it’s not personal. Theatre is different—people come for you,” he says.
He describes the 2025 theatre scene for stand-up comedy as impressive but still emerging because of high production costs. He hopes the craft will gain wider acceptance.
Adan Abdi is another comedian building his name through full-length annual shows. He has produced Camel Jokes (2022), But Seriously So (2023), Self Aware-ish (2024), Adan Abdi Live in Garissa (2024), and his 2025 show, Go Back to Somalia, has cemented his position as a voice for Somali audiences.
Performed at the Nairobi National Museum on Eid Day, Go Back to Somalia explored themes of belonging and misrepresentation surrounding Somalis in Kenya. He has also taken his craft abroad, performing in London, Manchester, Kampala, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
“I choose to do full comedy shows in the theatre since people are attentive. They mark their calendar to come to the show. In clubs, it’s noisy, plans are accidental, and you can get hecklers,” Abdi notes.
To close the year, two more shows are lined up: Larry Asego’s Till Age Do Us Part on December 6 at Alliance Française Nairobi, and Abdi’s Adan Abdi Live on Jamhuri Day on December 12 at the Louis Leakey Auditorium, Nairobi National Museum.