Muhindi Mbingu Street, closed for a KFC advert shoot, has turned a bustling CBD artery into a Hollywood-style set since Saturday. The popular thoroughfare was barricaded until Tuesday morning for a high-budget 45-second commercial featuring the fried chicken giant.
Motorists and matatu crews navigating the heart of downtown have faced rerouting chaos as Kenya Film Commission permits granted KFC exclusive access to the iconic street – famed for its textile shops and endless foot traffic – transforming it into a neon-lit stage complete with cranes, drones, and a cast of hundreds.
The shoot, directed by acclaimed South African filmmaker Tebogo Malope, kicked off at dawn Saturday with crews sealing both ends of the 300-metre stretch between Dubois Road and Biashara Street.
By midday Sunday, the scene was pure spectacle: dancers in branded red-and-white outfits twirled under artificial rain machines while a vintage matatu painted in KFC colours performed doughnuts in the middle of the road.
Overhead, drones captured sweeping shots of extras devouring Zinger burgers on makeshift balconies, all choreographed to a remixed bongo beat that had curious hawkers grooving on the sidelines.
Traffic police stationed at the cordons turned away frustrated drivers with a weary smile and a flyer: “Road closed for filming – back open Tuesday 6 a.m.”
Matatu touts quickly adapted, creating unofficial detours through back alleys that now resemble Formula 1 circuits. “We’ve lost two days of good business,” grumbled shoe vendor Joseph Mwangi, 42, whose stall sits directly opposite the main set.
“But when they offered us free chicken yesterday, I forgave them a little.” KFC Kenya country manager Jacques Theunissen confirmed the shoot is the brand’s biggest local investment yet, declining to reveal the budget beyond calling it “eight figures”.
Insiders whisper the 45-second spot – set to air during the December festive season across East Africa – features a cameo from a surprise A-list celebrity and aims to cement KFC as the ultimate street-food king in Nairobi’s imagination.
By Monday evening the set pulsed with energy. Floodlights turned night into day as the final scene unfolded: hundreds of extras released red balloons while the lead dancer balanced a towering bucket of chicken on her head, spinning beneath a drone that spelt “KFC” in lights across the sky.
Passers-by pressed against barricades cheered spontaneously, phones aloft, turning the commercial into an impromptu street party. Not everyone is thrilled.
The Nairobi CBD Traders Association lodged a formal complaint with City Hall over lost revenue, estimating daily losses at KSh 15 million across affected shops.
“Three full days closed for 45 seconds of advert? They should compensate us,” demanded association chair Stephen Gichuhi. As crews wrapped principal photography Monday night, the director promised the finished ad would “make Nairobi fall in love with KFC all over again.”
Cleanup crews begin at 4 a.m. Tuesday, with the county pledging to have the street fully reopened by rush hour. For now, the Muhindi Mbingu Street closed KFC advert shoot remains the talk of downtown – proof that in Nairobi, even a bucket of chicken can stop a city in its tracks.
