A short, cheeky video filmed at a lively night-out gathering has set Kenyan social media alight, thanks to a Swahili caption that takes a playful swipe at former Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in the context of the 2027 elections.
Influencer _.tasha_stephen_ posted the selfie-style clip on Instagram, filmed against a backdrop of a cheerful indoor crowd.
The on-screen caption, accompanied by crying-laughing emojis, translates roughly to:
“In 2027, Fred Matiang’i will feel the same way we felt during the 2017 KCSE.”
The joke landed because of just how well Kenyans remember that examination period.
When Matiang’i tightened anti-cheating measures as CS for Education, the results were dramatic. Students could no longer rely on leaked papers, and the numbers told the story starkly: while over 2,000 candidates scored a grade A in 2015, that figure collapsed to just 141 in 2016.
More than 300,000 students ended up with D and E grades, shutting many out of university admission entirely.
The video clearly struck a nerve with a well-known name.
George Ruto, son of President William Ruto, spotted the clip and reacted with a cascade of laughing emojis in the comments, a response that only added fuel to the post’s viral spread.
Other Kenyans were equally tickled, with several chiming in to relive the memory of those gruelling examination years.
@dj2one2:
“This is legit funny.”
@maggie_showz:
“10 years later 😂.”
@jonitombugua:
“The classes of 2016-2017, we will never heal.”
Matiang’i has since become a prominent political figure, positioning himself as a potential presidential contender ahead of the 2027 general election.
The joke taps into a very specific shared trauma for an entire generation of Kenyan students who sat their exams under his watch, turning a bitter memory into comedy gold.
