Who's behind the heist? Reactions as Kenyan brands report ‘missing colors’

Kenyan social media has been taken over by an unusual mystery after several major corporate brands began reporting that colors associated with their digital identities had gone missing.

The activity was first noticed on Thursday August 20, around Jumia before similar reports emerged from brands including GA Insurance, Tecno, KCB, Glovo, Farmer’s Choice, Naivas and Kenchic.

Also, the development has extended beyond corporate brands, with Citizen Digital reporting that it too discovered that some of its colors were missing.

The unusual posts have prompted users to compare the changes across different companies and look for a common explanation, with the affected brands coming from different sectors, including banking, insurance, e-commerce, technology, food, retail and delivery.

The conversation has also increasingly centred on the color orange. Hashtags including #WheresOurOrange and #LookingForOurOrange have been used as people try to establish what links the different posts.

Tecno Mobile Kenya, for example, joined the conversation with a message saying: “Something is missing, and we’ve looked everywhere. We’ve checked the cameras. We’ve checked the screens. We’ve restarted even the servers. Still no explanation. But we can confirm one thing: One of the colors has officially moved.”

KCB also appeared to play along with the mystery, asking Tecno, “are all assets accounted for on your side?”

The involvement of several unrelated companies has become one of the main features of the unfolding story.

Rather than simply changing their logos without explanation, some of the participating brands have posted messages acknowledging that something has disappeared while leaving their audiences to look for clues.

KFC Kenya has also joined the conversation, with its posts fuelling further questions about whether some participants have information about what is happening.

The development has consequently moved beyond individual brand pages, with social media users attempting to connect the different posts and identify what could be behind them.

Some users have admitted that they are simply struggling to understand the trend.

“Ni marketing gani hii ina involve colors yenye brands zina ongelea? I'm very idle,” posted X user Billy, The GOAT.

Another user, CPA Enock M Makori, asked whether the activity could be connected to a new advertising agency, writing: “That color missing mystery, is it a new ad agency announcing its new dawn!”

Sue Nimmoh also joined the conversation, writing: “Trying to follow up … sielewi. Colors zimefanya nini? What’s the trend about.”

The uncertainty has also opened the door to another name currently prominent in Kenyan social-media conversations: Heha Movers.

Heha Movers is a viral Nairobi comedy group that has recently attracted widespread attention through its mock moving-company content.

The group, associated with the self-styled CEO Mr Wahio, has built its online presence around exaggerated claims about moving clients and handling almost every aspect of their lives.

Its popularity has extended into mainstream brand conversations, with the group attracting corporate attention and collaborations.

Their viral visibility led some social media users to bring Heha Movers into the discussion surrounding the missing colors.

One user posted, “I think Heha movers are responsible for this,” with another chiming in, “kindly confirm with Heha Movers. They should disclose the delivery location.”

Sue Nimmoh later hilariously responded to a post about Heha Movers and the missing colours noting, “wameenda na colors za wenyewe. Makes sense now.”

Sospeter Mong'are also posted about “Heha trending,” adding another layer to the online conversation.

The Heha Movers theory, however, remains part of the social-media discussion rather than an established explanation for the missing colors.

There has been no confirmed statement in the material available establishing that the group is behind the activity.