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Kanyari reveals how he discovered meaning of ‘Alele mtoto’ after grooving to Kapitani’s hit on repeat
20th August, 2026 08:55 PM
Salvation Healing Ministry founder Pastor Victor Kanyari has revealed how he discovered the meaning of the current talk-of-the-town phrase ‘Alele mtoto’ from the popular hit song ‘Bag Ni Ya Nini’ by Arbantone artiste Kapitani, saying he had to consult a few Gen Zs to understand its true meaning.
Speaking during a service on Thursday, August 20, 2026, the televangelist said he had become intrigued by the phrases ‘Bag Ni Ya Nini’ and ‘Alele Mtoto’ after they began dominating conversations and social media platforms.
“Bag ni ya nini. Alele mtoto,” Kanyari said as he recalled the phrases that have recently become widely popular among Kenyans.
The preacher said his curiosity grew after repeatedly coming across the phrases and wanting to understand exactly what they meant.
“Now just a few days ago I was so intrigued to know what those phrases meant because they were going viral everywhere,” he said.
Kanyari said he eventually decided to listen to the song himself in an attempt to decipher the meaning behind the catchy phrases.
“So I went to my house and listened to the song and I heard it say ‘Bag Ni Ya Nini’ and the response being ‘Alele Mtoto’,” he said.
However, rather than immediately understanding the meaning, Kanyari said he sought help from his secretary, whom he described as a member of Generation Z.
“I asked my secretary what ‘Alele Mtoto’ means. My secretary, who is a Gen Z, is called Sharon Nyaguthii,” he said.
According to Kanyari, Sharon then explained to him that ‘Alele’ refers to miraa, commonly known as khat.
“And she told me that ‘Alele’ is miraa. And the song means bag is to carry alele, which means miraa,” he said.
The revelation appeared to amuse Kanyari, who said he was impressed by the creativity behind the viral music and the way Kenyans have embraced and developed new phrases around popular songs.
He said the latest hit demonstrated how innovative Kenyan musicians and their audiences had become, particularly in creating phrases and theories that quickly spread across social media.
“And I am happy for the song because Kenyans are giving the impression that they are innovative in music and they are coming up with theories every day, which is very good,” Kanyari said.
The preacher also pointed out how quickly Kenyans move from one viral song or phrase to another, saying the popularity of ‘Bag Ni Ya Nini’ had pushed aside several other songs that had previously dominated social media conversations.
“So now we are not listening to the once popular hit ‘Anguka Nayo’ anymore. Now we are on ‘Bag Ni Ya Nini’,” he said.
Kanyari also mentioned ‘Mafurumbanya’, another song that had previously enjoyed significant attention online, saying it too had been overtaken by the latest viral hit.
“We also had the other song ‘Mafurumbanya’, which had also become very viral. All those have been dumped and we are on ‘Bag Ni Ya Nini’,” he said.
Author
Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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