A video of a mzungu selling omena in Mombasa has captivated social media. The clip shows a white man hawking the tiny dried fish along busy streets near the Likoni Ferry, and Kenyans can’t decide whether to laugh, worry, or cheer him on.
In the footage that’s been shared hundreds of times, the guy appears totally at ease with his new gig. He’s got a bucket for sorting the omena and plastic bags ready for customers and even pauses to check his phone between sales.
Dressed in a simple checked shirt and trousers, he blends into the hustle of street vendors – except, of course, for standing out completely because of his skin colour.
Passersby do double-takes, some stop to film, and a few even buy from him. One part of the video shows him weighing out portions carefully, chatting with locals like he’s been doing this for years.
Omena, those small silver fish loved fried up with ugali or added to sukuma wiki, is everyday food for millions here. It’s cheap protein, especially big in western Kenya but sold everywhere, including coastal spots like Mombasa.
Seeing a foreigner – a mzungu no less – out there peddling it on the roadside? That’s not something you spot daily. The video popped up first on TikTok and quickly jumped to Facebook, Instagram, and X, with gossip pages pushing it hard.
Reactions came fast and furious. Some folks figured he must have hit hard times. Comments like “Aliibiwa na mama dollar” – meaning he got cleaned out by a Kenyan lady he was dating – keep showing up.
Others joked he’s undercover, maybe CIA or Mossad, watching the dealers’ crossings or tracking something shady in the coast’s busy trade.
One post read, “Huyu siwezi nunua kwake, ati nipimie omena na akaniambia ni classified information?” Plenty laughed it off, saying no job is too small if you’re surviving.
Not everyone went straight to jokes, though. A bunch praised the hustle. “Respect to the man,” one person wrote. “In Kenya, mboka ni mboka – hunger doesn’t care where you’re from.”
Others shared stories of expats who’ve fallen in love with the country, stayed too long, and ended up adapting in unexpected ways. Tourism brings plenty of foreigners to Mombasa’s beaches, but most stick to hotels and safaris, not street vending.
No one knows this man’s backstory yet. Is he a tourist who ran out of cash? An expat down on luck? Or just someone who genuinely likes the trade? He hasn’t spoken out, and the videos don’t show interviews. For now, he’s the mystery mzungu turning heads.
This isn’t the first time a foreigner doing local jobs has gone viral. Remember clips of wazungu riding boda bodas or selling fruits? They always spark the same mix – amusement, suspicion, and admiration.
In tough economic times, with jobs scarce and costs high, seeing anyone grind hits different. Some comments even turned serious, talking about how Kenya welcomes visitors but life here can surprise you.
As shares climb and more clips surface, the debate rolls on. Buy from him or not? Help the guy out or steer clear in case it’s a setup? One thing everyone agrees on – it’s pure Kenyan internet gold.
The mzungu selling omena in Mombasa has given people plenty to talk about over tea or nyama choma chats. Whether his story gets cleared up or stays a mystery, he’s already the talk of the coast.
