Best Kenyan documentary movies
A curated collection of popular documentary movies from Kenya.
Softie (2020)
Softie (2020)
Boniface Mwangi is daring and audacious, and recognized as Kenya’s most provocative photojournalist. But as a father of three young children, these qualities create tremendous turmoil between him and his wife Njeri. When he wants to run for political office, he is forced to choose: country or family?
Between the Rains (2023)
Between the Rains (2023)
Between the Rains is a coming-of-age story of Kolei, a shepherd boy whose name translates to “living amongst the goats.” Unfolding over the course of a prolonged drought, viewers are pressed deeper into Kolei’s inner conflict as he questions not only his own identity as a warrior — a path that was chosen for him —but also the erosion of the culture that has shaped every aspect of his life. For Kolei, becoming a warrior not only shapes masculinity and personal identity, but it is also the very foundation on which this community and society root their lives. It is a sacred, guiding pillar.
Milking the Rhino (2009)
Milking the Rhino (2009)
Milking the Rhino is a 2009 documentary film that examines the relationship between the indigenous African wildlife, the villagers who live amongst this wildlife and conservationists who look to keep tourism dollars coming in. Both the Massai of Kenya and the Ovahimba of Namibia have spent centuries as cattle farmers. With their lands being turned into protected game reserves, these ancient tribes have turned to tourism as a means of survival. While some environmentalists think that community-based conservation is ideal for these villagers, the dangers of drought and the starvation of their cattle remains a constant reality.
Tapi! (2020)
Tapi! (2020)
Tapi! is a short documentary that explores a formative moment in the life of Kenyan ritual healer Jackson, one of the last practitioners of the ritual healing practice called utapishi ('tapi'). The leaders of the local Christian church are not happy with the influence of the ritual and decide to go to court. Jackson pushes back against the threat of tapi's prohibition by local Christian church movements who seem to be determined to erase the complex history of a people.
When Lambs Become Lions (2018)
When Lambs Become Lions (2018)
In the Kenyan bush, a crackdown on ivory poaching forces a silver-tongued second-generation poacher to seek out an unlikely ally in this fly-on-the-wall look at both sides of the conservation divide.
The Day I Will Never Forget (2002)
The Day I Will Never Forget (2002)
The practice of female genital mutilation is explored through personal stories of Kenyan women.
The Battle for Laikipia (2024)
The Battle for Laikipia (2024)
The stakes escalate in a longstanding conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, as unresolved historical injustices and the impact of climate change come to the forefront.
Thank You for the Rain (2017)
Thank You for the Rain (2017)
Five years ago Kisilu, a Kenyan farmer, started to use his camera to capture the life of his family, his village and the damages of climate change. When a violent storm throws him and a Norwegian filmmaker together we see him transform from a father, to a community leader and activist on the global stage.
The Unknown Runner (2013)
The Unknown Runner (2013)
A STORY OF STRUGGLE, SACRIFICE AND DEDICATION Discover the world behind the Kenyan long-distance runners. See how they train, live an work hard to realize their dreams. Follow top athlete Geoffrey Kipsang. Watch him as he trains and paces for Haile Gebrselassie, and makes his debut at the 2012 Berlin Marathon.
How to Build a Library (2025)
How to Build a Library (2025)
Two intrepid Nairobi women decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past.
Waithira (2017)
Waithira (2017)
A portrait of family, and a study of migration, assimilation and generational spirit in the most gentle and intimate of terms. Kenyan born Munyiri, partially raised in South Africa and much-travelled since, creates an autobiography-through biography of her late paternal grandmother, Waithira.
The Musiara Marsh (1996)
The Musiara Marsh (1996)
The Lions of Musiara Marsh.
Just wait I’ll give you a house (1982)
Just wait I’ll give you a house (1982)
Urban life can be difficult. Here we first follow a couple who encounter one problem after another as they hunt for a flat. The estate agent is a crook and makes their job even harder. When it becomes impossible to find somewhere to rent, there’s only one thing left to do: live in a shanty town. One of the inhabitants shows us what living in that environment actually means.