Kenyan actress Georgina Mbira has said Kenyans should stop shaming joy and allow people to enjoy moments of happiness without fear.
She made the remarks on Monday, January 12, 2026, while defending public excitement around IShowSpeed, saying the reaction says more about Kenya’s culture than the moment itself. Mbira states that joy should not be questioned or punished.
She said, “Grown men. Kids. Boys. Girls. Even the president and a giraffe.”
Mbira explained that all these people showed happiness in their own way, and there was nothing wrong with it.
She adds, “All loving on IShowSpeed, let them. Let people be happy.”
Mbira reminds Kenyans that life is short and moments of joy should not be policed.
She said, “In 100 years, none of us will be here, so live and let live.” According to her, shaming people for being happy takes away from simple human experiences.
She calls out what she describes as a deep problem in society.
Mbira says, “This culture of shaming even moments of joy is ridiculous.” She explains that people are quick to judge instead of allowing others to enjoy harmless happiness.
Kenya’s shame culture and fear of joy
Mbira links this behaviour to how many people were raised.
She said, “Kenya has a shame problem.” She explains that discipline based on “aibu” taught people to control behaviour through embarrassment rather than understanding.
She adds, “We were raised on ‘aibu’ as discipline, so we learned to police joy instead of protecting it.”
Mbira says this mindset makes it hard for people to watch happiness without reacting negatively.
According to her, joy is often labelled wrongly.
She said, “A lot of us don’t know how to witness joy without punishing it.” She explains that instead of celebrating, people quickly judge.
Mbira notes that joy is often dismissed using harsh words.
She said, “So we call it cringe, attention seeking, bad manners.” She believes these labels are used to hide discomfort with happiness.
She further explains that these reactions come from deeper emotional issues.
Mbira said, “Shame, guilt and fear are the lowest levels of consciousness.” She argues that when people act from these feelings, they hurt others simply for being happy.
