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Njaanuary: How Kenyans turned to TikTok to get through tough month

By Chad Kitundu February 1st, 2020 2 min read

“Phew …it’s finally over!”

Many Kenyans are breathing a sigh of relief as January comes to an close, ending a month considered too difficult to survive due to the tough balance one must achieve with their finances.

The first month of the year has taught Kenyans the art of survival and many have exhausted all loaning facilities, are cursing and no longer check their bank and mobile account balances.

To ease the January toughness, many Kenyans turned to social media platform TikTok to share witty ways of turning January – famously referred to as ‘Njaanuary’ – into entertainment as they helped others survive the start of the year.

Here are some highlights of those familiar Njaanuary moments:

December vs January vibes – What a contrast from December when money was flowing freely to January when only God is our refuge.

@marynene254#NjaanuaryBlues♬ original sound – marynene254

January ends before it starts – On the eve of New Year, some opted to alter their thoughts by imagining the 100-day January had already come and gone and the short month of February was bae.

@scholarwena??? January is over!!! #HappyNewMonthInadvance #tiktokkenya♬ Goodbye – Jason DeRulo,David Guetta,Nicki Minaj

No cash, no make-up – In December most women felt like Beyonce but in January many did not recognise the woman they have become when they looked int he mirror as they had gone ‘back to factory settings.’

@shishdavisI used all my make up to slay for the holidays and can’t afford to buy more this January #tiktok_kenya #foryoupage #foryou #happynewyear #featureame♬ Crying Child – Popoy Cervanda

Students are not spared! – Students were not left out of the painful month as they bid farewell to their loved ones and home comforts to embark on their journey in search of knowledge.

@am_papadopulos#backtoschool #tiktoktanzania #tiktokkenya #tiktokuganda call_me_turner trinmy porcatello♬ original sound – urcheey

New Year Resolution – In hope for a better year in 2020, many of us tend to make annual resolutions that are forgotten as soon as January comes to an end.

@markmwas??you only remember the new years resolutions on January then you forgot about them #tiktokenya #newyear #tiktok #foryoupage

♬ The Months of the Year – The Kiboomers