"I Ate Weetabix and Soda": King Kaka Reveals Solo Living Struggles After Divorce

King Kaka is widely known as a legendary Kenyan rapper and entrepreneur. However, December 2024 brought a significant shift to his personal life.

Following his divorce from his wife, Nana Owiti, the artist found himself facing a new and unexpected challenge: the kitchen.

The Hard Reality of Living Alone

For years, King Kaka was accustomed to a settled family unit. Moving into a house on his own was a major adjustment. During the Lessons at 30 podcast interview with Dr Ofweneke, Kaka admitted that the transition was emotionally taxing and physically demanding.

The rapper described the early days of his solo life as a period of "survival mode". He often found himself standing in his kitchen, simply staring at his cooking pots. He says the pots seemed to stare back at him while he figured out his next move.

"In one year yaani nimelearn kucook siku hizi by the way mi ni chef. The change was hard on me. I’m human. I had to go through whatever I went through."

The Night of Weetabix and Soda

The initial days were filled with culinary trial and error. Without a basic knowledge of cooking, King Kaka relied on simple "tumbukiza"—a method of throwing meat, coriander, and peppers into a pot and hoping for the best.

One particular night in Machakos stands out as a low point. It was midnight, and he realized he had no food in the fridge. He found a box of Weetabix but had no milk.

READ TOO: Inside King Kaka's New Cooking Show 'Let Him Cook'

Desperate and hungry, he made a choice that still makes him laugh today. He ate the cereal with a bottle of Coca-Cola.

"I ate Weetabix and soda... it was just God and me."

Finding Inspiration on YouTube

King Kaka eventually decided he could not live on "tumbukiza" and soda forever. He turned to the internet for help. He began watching YouTube tutorials to learn the basics of food preparation.

He specifically credits Kenyan rugby star and "Roaming Chef" Dennis Ombachi as a major inspiration. Seeing another man succeed in the kitchen gave him the confidence to keep trying.

He started practicing more complex dishes, though he admits his early attempts at "chapo" (chapatis) were so hard that even he couldn't eat them.

A New Career Path

What started as a necessity soon turned into a passion. King Kaka did not want to make his mistakes in private. He decided to document his journey, leading to the creation of his own cooking show.

The show is built on the idea of a chef who does not actually know how to cook. It has been a commercial success and is currently heading into its second season.

The project has even attracted major corporate partners, proving that his personal struggle could be turned into a professional opportunity.

Today, the man who once struggled to boil water calls himself a chef. While the divorce was a difficult chapter, it forced him to gain a skill he never thought he would need.