Popular Swahili telenovela Selina is finally coming to an end in April 2022 after 6 seasons, Maisha Magic East has confirmed, with Maisha Magic Head of Channel Margaret Mathore terming it as a “heroic end.”
The telenovela which is currently at a Kenyan record of 935 episodes (and counting) premiered in January 2018 and quickly became a fan favourite among Kenyans in need of a long-running, daily telenovela to call their own after being saturated with Mexican soaps for too long.
“We conclude ‘Selina’ after 6 successful seasons of drama and intrigue. ‘Selina’ remained the undisputed king of prime-time TV every season and is bowing out as the greatest, longest-running daily TV show in Kenya,” said Mathore in a statement shared with Sinema Focus. “The multiple awards, industry accolades as well as great audience ratings were testimony that as Maisha Magic East, we were treating our audiences to what they wanted and that the channel has become a trend-setter in the telenovela space in Kenya. In line with our commitment to enriching lives and giving our customers value for their money, Selina is coming to a heroic end to pave way for yet another gripping local story. We have created stars, employed and up-skilled hundreds of young creatives, touched and entertained millions of households for the last 4 years, and for us, the bar has been set high. We promise our viewers that there are even more and better things to come.”
In a previous interview, Selina producer and director Reuben Odanga said described Selina as a gamechanger that “has broken the glass ceiling, and played a very important role in the Kenyan TV industry because it’s been a first in many ways.”
On its parent channel Maisha Magic East, Selina has been the number one most-watched show since it premiered in 2018, and on the streaming service Showmax where it’s available to binge, the telenovela remained in the top 10 most-watched shows in Kenya for the past four years.
