Kitchen is not for men: Lofty Matambo recalls how he was raised
News anchor Lofty Matambo has shared memories from his childhood, recalling strict rules at home.
Speaking in an interview on YouTube with Oga Obinna on Tuesday, February 23, 2026, he said that as a boy, even trying to pick up a spoon or a knife in the kitchen could lead to punishment.
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“When I was growing up, as a boy trying to enter our kitchen, even to pick up a spoon or a knife, my mother would slap me. She would tell me the kitchen is not for men,” he said.
Matambo said his sisters were allowed in the kitchen, and he had to ask them for anything he needed.
“If you were found in the kitchen, you would be beaten until the whole neighbourhood came to see what you had done. They would say, you were found in the kitchen. That is not your work,” he added.
He faces challenges beyond home
He said that the lessons from home also followed him later in life. When he moved to Nairobi, a relationship ended because of how he was raised.
He recalled, “Nikaja Nairobi huku , hata niliwachwa na binti fulani kwa sababu alikua anasema nyinyi mumezoea kufanyiwa kila kitu kwetu hapa ni tofauti.”
Matambo explained that this made him reflect on the differences between his upbringing and expectations in the wider world.
He also reflected on how these childhood rules were strict and public.
“Ukipatikana jikoni umeinama hivi eti unachota kunde, utachapwa hadi mji mzima ikuje kuangalia umefanya nini. Umepatikana jikoni. Hiyo si kazi yako,” he said as he explained, making the punishment even more severe and public, leaving a lasting impression on him as a young boy.
Matambo shared the story as a way of explaining how cultural norms shaped his early life. The kitchen, he said, was a space strictly for women, and boys were expected to follow the rules or face consequences.
“Mumezoea kufanyiwa kila kitu kwetu hapa ni tofauti,” he recalled, explaining how upbringing affects expectations later in life.
