Kenyans have different ways of expressing love for their partners but saying the three magical word 'I love you' may not be at the top of the list for most couples.
Carolina Carlz, a YouTuber, challenged Kenyans on the street to participate in a seemingly peculiar task of randomly calling their significant others just to tell them "I love you".
Many were hesitant to take up the challenge, with one woman arguing, "My partner will ask me what has got into my head or whether I am intoxicated."
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One man who appeared confident enough to call his girlfriend only to receive a tongue lashing after uttering the three magic words.
"Why do you say you love me and never show me. I don't want words that don't mean anything if you are not going to back it up with actions," his girlfriend was heard responding as he tried to calm her down.
The next participant also received a rude shock when the call was disconnected after professing his love. He gave it another attempt but this time the call went unanswered.
A hesitant participant tried to explain that calling his girlfriend to give that message would only open a rabbit hole since she would immediately ask for money.
"I don't want to, right now I don't have money and if I call to say I love her she will think I have found money and will ask for some," he defended.
Other than the comical value of the challenge, the experiment shed light onto the fact that despite the increase in western infuences in Kenya, such as movies and music, there lies a section of Kenyans who are still uncomfortable in expressing themselves.
However, as the 1990s children transition into adulthood, many traditional beliefs about love and relationships are set to be broken.
Emily Kiama, a counsellor, explained that the current crop of young adults were the most exposed to western influences as opposed to those born in the 1980s and before.
"The advancement of technology has made people able to see what is happening in other parts of the world and emulate it.
"For us, we did not have as many TVs or the internet so we grew up with very limited information. In fact not one time did my parents ever express love infront of us. They got along just fine but that was all," she told Kenyans.co.ke.
President Uhuru Kenyatta made a spectacle in 2014, with many media houses racing to get the best headline for his show of love to his wife Margaret Kenyatta.
He stood waiting for Maggie at the finish line during that edition of the Beyond Zero Half Marathon and reading the cue, she ran straight into his arms and the embrace that happened will be spoken about for years to come.
For the first time (arguably) the words President and Romantic could be used in the same sentence, with Uhuru redeeming the accusation that Kenyan men had killed chivalry.
A politician raising the hand of his wife or mentioning her was about as affectionate as one would get in public.
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