“Have you survived January?” This is the question many Kenyans are now asking each other as we come to the close of a month that is considered difficult because of its perceived financial ‘dryness’. It is the month that life can suddenly become so tough to a point one can be left with virtually no cash to get by.
Kenyans however, have decided not to let this time of the year get them down. They instead turned to TikTok, a platform that aims to bring joy to its users, to share witty ways of turning January – famously referred to as ‘Njaanuary’ to loosely describe the month’s miseries – into entertainment as they help others survive the start of the year.
Below we highlight a few of those familiar Njaanuary moments:
December vs January vibes
What a contrast December was when money was flowing from January when only God knows why we have to endure intense hardships. Everything is different from our dressing styles to the genre of music we are listening to.
Take a look at the video here: https://www.tiktok.com/@marynene254/video/6781271376423587078
January ends before it starts
On the eve of New Year, some opted to alter their minds by imagining that the long and tough month of January had already passed, and pretended that they were already in February (a month with 28 days), instead of January which often feels like it has 70 days. Watch the video here: https://www.tiktok.com/@scholarwena/video/6652560591107919110
No cash, no make-up
In December most ladies felt like Beyonce. In January, women are looking at their reflection with shock – and have coined this drab January look ‘as going back to factory settings.’
Watch the video here: https://www.tiktok.com/@shishdavis/video/6777679857238428933
Agony of unpaid electricity tokens
The noise that electricity meter boxes make just after New Year can be mistaken for a Christmas Carol that never ends. Next time you miss the January electricity payment, consider setting your meter box to vibrate or silent mode with your provider as it alerts all of your neighbours that the electricity has been disconnected.
Watch the video here: https://www.tiktok.com/@njerimwangi254/video/6778810604850384134
Students are not spared!
It’s back to reality for everyone. Students must painfully bid farewell to their loved ones and home comforts to embark on their journey in search of knowledge.
Watch the video: https://www.tiktok.com/@am_papadopulos/video/6778002518589918469
New Year Resolution
In hope for a better year, we all tend to make annual resolutions that most of us forget as soon as January comes to an end.
Watch the video here: https://www.tiktok.com/@markmwas/video/6780996396234427654
