To justify our commitment to curating playlists that highlight the top Kenyan songs of each month, we needed to agree on a compelling case for it. In the end, the reason was quite simple; there’s so much good Kenyan music that is released throughout the year that if we waited for the end of the year to compile one long list of top music released from January to December, we would inadvertently leave out some songs that should otherwise have been on the list. Our monthly series of the best Kenyan songs from each month captures a snapshot of the Kenyan music scene every month, across the year. This helps us avoid any blind spots that could arise during the tedious process of manually sorting through a large volume of data in a short period of time.

November saw the release of the debut solo album by Sauti Sol’s lead vocalist Bien. In the 16-track album, Bien taps the talents of Scar Mkadinali, DJ Edu, Nigerian-British rapper Ms Banks, and Nigerian artists Tay Iwar and Ayra Starr. In the same month, Kenyan artist Sofiya Nzau collaborated with Brazilian artist and DJ Zerb to release their global hit single Mwaki, which is currently doing a world tour on party playlists as more and more people discover what’s going to be their new soundtrack of the season. Thank you, Sofiya and Zerb, for that masterpiece.

Our list of top songs released in November 2023 contains new music from Bien, Blinky Bill, Scar Mkadinali, Sabi Wu, AJAY of the Buruklyn Boyz duo, Maya Amolo, Zowie Kengocha, Swat Matire, Boutross, and many others.

Listen to the entire playlist on YouTube or on Spotify. Don’t forget to follow us on those platforms so you can be among the first to discover the gems in all our new playlists.

1. I Want You – Bien
2. Mwaki – Zerb and Sofiya Nzau
3. Manipulate – Kaa La Moto and Okello Max
4. Kimbokita – mbogi genje
5. SIFU BWANA – ItsYaba
6. Lifestyle – Bien and Scar Mkadinali
7. Where Ya Been? – A COLORS SHOW – Maya Amolo
8. Maandamano Riddim Remix – Sabi Wu and AJAY
9. Body Count – Heavy Cane, Exray Taniua, and Fathermoh
10. Baikoko – Mbuzi Gang
11. project – A COLORS SHOW – Zowie Kengocha
12. Bad Mamacita – Savinnah and NDOVU KUU
13. Blinky Bill – Dracula
14. Caleb Awiti – Test My Patience
15. Businessman – SkyBridge and Njoki Karu
16. Mimi – Swat Matire, and Nastie Nastie
17. Update Status – Arrif Shizo, and Boutross

1. I Want You – Bien

2. Mwaki – Zerb and Sofiya Nzau

3. Manipulate – Kaa La Moto and Okello Max

4. Kimbokita – mbogi genje

5. SIFU BWANA – ItsYaba

6. Lifestyle – Bien and Scar Mkadinali

7. Where Ya Been? – A COLORS SHOW – Maya Amolo

8. Maandamano Riddim Remix – Sabi Wu and AJAY

9. Body Count – Heavy Cane, Exray Taniua, and Fathermoh

10. Baikoko – Mbuzi Gang

11. project – A COLORS SHOW – Zowie Kengocha

12. Bad Mamacita – Savinnah and NDOVU KUU

13. Blinky Bill – Dracula

14. Caleb Awiti – Test My Patience

15. Businessman – SkyBridge and Njoki Karu

16. Mimi – Swat Matire, and Nastie Nastie

17. Update Status – Arrif Shizo, and Boutross