MALIK LEMUEL, AVRIL NYAMBURA & LWANDA JAWAR STAR IN NEW CRIME DRAMA SERIES PEPETA

New crime drama series Pepeta, is set to premier on Showmax, November 24. Pepeta is based on the real-life story of Harun ‘Rio’ Wathari. The eight-part series captures the dreams and realities of the youth in Kibera, known for churning out top football players in the country.

Pepeta follows three intertwining stories. Junior is a 17-year-old talented footballer torn between the thrills of crime and the promises of soccer. Kepha is an unforgiving cop with a personal vendetta, determined to rid the streets of criminals. And Biki is an ambitious football coach determined to get Junior and his friends scouted before the barrel of the gun cuts short their dreams.

Featuring a predominantly young cast, including some who have never been seen on screen before, Pepeta stars Brahim Ouma in his first-ever lead role as Junior. The cast also includes Malik Lemuel, who makes a major comeback since Machachari, Dedan J. Onyango, Lwanda Jawar, Avril Nyambura, George Mo, Wycliffe Eravuna, Marrianne Nungo, Brian Ngaira, and newcomers Eric Aswani, Fridah Mumbe and Suzanne Karani.

Pepeta is produced by CJ3 Entertainment and directed by Vincent Mbaya, with Damaris Irungu, Charles Ouda and Abigail Arunga as writers. Speaking about his experience directing the show, Mbaya describes it as a lifetime in the making. “I had to dig deep into my experiences, especially working with young first time actors. I really had to go back to my acting days and put myself in their shoes, guiding them through the process, helping them tap into the small things that define their characters. It was a very fulfilling experience,” Mbaya says.

Even though challenging, Mbaya admits, watching Pepeta’syoung cast morph into their roles and blossom as performers really made him feel proud. “I think that we are about to discover some amazing talent. Some of the more known faces also deliver on a level we haven’t seen them reach before.”