“I Only Said Tutam” Kenyan Restaurant Owner Breaks Down in Tears After Customers Stay Away

A Kenyan restaurant owner has taken to TikTok in tears, saying a single word cost her a day’s business.

In a video posted on Saturday, October 24, the woman, still in her work apron, walks through her restaurant showing off the food she cooked that morning. Her shelves are full, but the tables are empty. She says the customers who usually fill the place simply never showed up.

Her explanation is simple. She had just said “Tutam,” the political slogan that has been making the rounds, and she believes her regulars stayed away because of it. “There is no freedom of speech,” she tells viewers, sounding more bewildered than angry.

What worries her most is the waste. She points to trays of chapatis and wonders aloud what she will do with them. Then she moves to the next shelf, listing pilau, meat, matoke and njahi, all cooked and waiting.

She insists she meant no harm. In her view, she shared an opinion and was punished for it.

As the video goes on, her voice starts to crack. She invites anyone nearby to come and eat for free, just so the food doesn’t end up in the bin. Then comes the line that has people talking: she says she shouldn’t have said it, and asks those who left to forgive her.

The clip raises a familiar question in Kenya’s charged political climate: what happens when personal views meet small business? For many traders, a loyal customer base is everything, and a day without it is a real loss, not a passing inconvenience.

It’s also worth remembering that the account comes from the owner herself, and we can’t say why customers stayed away that day. Still, her distress is hard to miss, and the video has struck a chord with many viewers.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1RHqxAEXbZ/

TheNewsInsider feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com