Isifike hapa: Businesswoman cries out after customers abandon her hotel over Tutam remarks

A Kenyan restaurant owner has appealed to customers to return to her establishment after claiming that many had stopped eating at her restaurant following her remarks supporting the ‘Tutam’ political slogan.

The woman, who appeared distressed in a video shared on TikTok by a user identified as Kokos on Saturday, October 24, 2026, said she was struggling to understand why customers had deserted her business after she expressed her views.

Dressed in a work apron, she walked around the restaurant, showing shelves and trays filled with food as she lamented the apparent drop in customers. She also pointed to empty seats, saying the establishment had experienced a significant decline in visitors.

“Believe me, Kenya, there is no freedom of speech or anything like that because I just came from saying ‘Tutam’, and people have abandoned my restaurant,” she said.

The woman appeared particularly worried about the amount of food she had prepared, wondering what she would do with the meals if customers did not return. As she continued filming, she showed viewers the food on display, saying the situation had left her with more food than she knew how to handle.

She questioned why expressing support for the slogan had seemingly affected her business, insisting that she had not intended to offend anyone through her remarks.

“As you can see, there is a lot of food here, and I wonder what I will do with all of it because people have boycotted eating here. I only said ‘Tutam’, and they do not want to eat here anymore,” she said.

The restaurant owner then drew attention to trays of chapatis, appearing increasingly dismayed as she considered what would happen to the food if the customers did not return. She said the experience had made her realise that publicly expressing support for the slogan could come with consequences.

“See all these chapatis I have here. I wonder what I will do with them. I have noticed that if you say ‘Tutam’, you will suffer,” she said.

She subsequently moved to another shelf filled with different meals, including pilau, meat, matoke and njahi, showing the variety of food available at the establishment.

She said the restaurant had recorded a sharp drop in customers that day and pointed to the empty seats as she described the situation.

“Look, here is another shelf full of food: pilau, meat, matoke, njahi and all kinds of food. And I only said ‘Tutam’, and I never had any ill intentions. Today, customers have vanished in huge numbers. You can see even the seats here are all empty,” she said.

The woman appeared close to tears as she appealed to viewers, saying she was now worried about the food going to waste. She asked people to come to the restaurant and eat the available meals for free, presenting the offer as an attempt to salvage the food she had prepared.

“I am now crying. Please just come and eat the food for free because all this food will go to waste,” she said.

In an emotional appeal, she also expressed regret over making the remarks, asking those who had stopped visiting her establishment to forgive her.

“I should not have said ‘Tutam’. Please forgive me,” she said.

Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on showbiz and human-interest stories. Emails: [email protected], [email protected]

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