After a year of inactivity in Nakuru, the Kujikubali Initiative, a mental health movement founded by the city’s mayor, Maina is returning to its home base with a renewed focus and fresh ideas.

Having become a fixture in Nakuru’s creative and wellness scene, the initiative quietly paused its local festivals in 2023 to explore opportunities in other regions, including Nairobi. This left many wondering whether the programme had moved its operations away from Nakuru entirely.

However, Major Maina, the founder of the event, clarifies that the pause was part of a planned expansion rather than a relocation.

“We wanted to revisit every place we’ve worked at least twice before moving on to somewhere new. We tried out Nairobi last year and plan to return again this year,” he explains.

The Kujikubali Festival was first held in 2018 at Maseno University, after which it settled in Nakuru, where the second, third and fourth editions were held.

Between 2021 and 2023, the initiative built a strong community following by using art, play and conversation to help young people address trauma and mental health issues in a supportive environment.

Maina says that the decision to take a brief break from Nakuru was strategic, enabling the team to diversify and trial their model with new audiences while gathering feedback for future improvements.

“Each location serves as a pilot. Nakuru might respond differently to Nairobi or Kisumu, so we use every experience to learn and grow," he says.

Now, the team is preparing for a major comeback. On October 25, the Kujikubali Initiative will host a mental health concert at Deliverance Church in Freehold, in partnership with Intervarsity Experience and Way of Peace.

The event will bring together music, poetry and storytelling to create a safe space where young people can relax, express themselves and heal. It will also mark the official launch of Kujikubali’s next phase of work in Nakuru, which will see them moving beyond festivals to provide more continuous engagement on mental wellbeing.

Established following Maina’s reflective poetry performance at Maseno University in 2018, Kujikubali (meaning 'accept yourself' in Swahili) has evolved into a movement that uses art and entertainment to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health.

Although the initiative now has a wider reach, Maina insists that Nakuru remains its heartbeat.

“Nakuru will always be home. Every time we expand, we come back here, because this is where Kujikubali truly found its voice,” he says.

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