Mataha 3.0 happened. The muratina flowed, the vitenge outfits were immaculate, the mugithi was on point, and the men were nowhere to be found.
That’s basically the headline from this year’s edition of the Kikuyu cultural festival that’s been quietly building a serious following since it launched. The tents at Imani Gardens in Ruiru were packed. The MC had the crowd going. The dancefloor was full from start to finish. The only thing missing, if you could even call it missing, was men. Videos that circulated online afterwards showed what looked like an almost exclusively female crowd- colourful, loud, completely unbothered, and clearly having the time of their lives.
The clips went viral almost immediately. Wanaume wako wapi? Where are the men? became the question of the weekend.
Twitter had thoughts. Some men explained they were busy with work, with family, with prayer, with self-improvement, with the gym, with investing. One commenter went deep: eating healthy, reading more, sleeping six hours minimum. No time for mataha. Another took a more theological angle of “we want to go to Heaven when the time comes.” Events, apparently, are an obstacle to salvation.
The women, for their part, didn’t seem to notice or care. That’s kind of the point.
There’s actually something worth saying here beyond the obvious ratio jokes. Mataha has always positioned itself as a celebration of Kikuyu culture with mugithi, traditional food, muratina, community. And across three editions now, it’s built a crowd that genuinely connects with that. The TikTok reviews from this edition were overwhelmingly positive. “A solid 10/10, nobody should have to tell you twice,” said one. The muratina was praised specifically, which at a cultural festival like this is basically the highest possible compliment.
The food angle is real too. Mukimo, njahi, matoke, traditional brews — Mataha has leaned into the food experience hard enough that it’s become part of the draw on its own. People go for the dancefloor, stay for the stall that serves the thing their cucu used to make.
As for the men, look, Mataha 4.0 is already locked in for 13 June in Thika. The organisers are clearly not panicking. If anything, the viral moment from 3.0 just did their marketing for them. An event where women feel completely comfortable showing up in groups, dancing without checking over their shoulders, and spending the afternoon entirely on their own terms is not a failure. It’s a product.
The guys can stay home and invest.
Mataha 4.0 goes down 13 June 2026 in Thika.
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