Viral Tea Kenya is a Nairobi-based, digital-native newsroom founded in February 2021. Built for Gen Z and young millennials, it publishes real-time reports, smart explainers and in-depth features across current affairs, politics, entertainment, business and sport. The outlet’s tone is contemporary yet service-minded, aiming to keep young audiences informed without the delay of traditional bulletins. A distinctive feature is its aviation desk, launched in September 2023 and branded AvKenya. The unit covers airline industry developments, airport operations and flight technologies, and it produces accessible explainers that demystify aircraft systems for a general audience. Its aviation coverage includes breaking updates as well as context pieces on safety, sustainability and air‑travel policy. Viral Tea operates as a privately held company headquartered in Kenya with a small team spanning editorial, social and video. It emphasizes rapid verification and distribution on social platforms where its core audience spends most of its time. In August 2025 the outlet was named Best News & Entertainment Platform – Kenya in MEA Markets’ African Excellence Awards, recognition for audience growth and digital storytelling since launch. Across its coverage, Viral Tea positions itself as an alternative voice to legacy media while investing in beats—such as aviation—that are typically underserved in Kenya’s news ecosystem.

Source: Code for Africa

Last updated date: July 2026

Location:
Nairobi, Kenya
Year the organization started publishing:
2021
Languages:
English
Type of coverage:
International
Countries of coverage:

Content

Editorial coverage:
Generalist, focused on multiple topics
Type of content produced by theme:
Education
Environment
Politics
Technology
Sports
Economy and business
Lifestyle
Health and well-being
Entertainment and culture
Law and crime
Society and human rights
Entrepreneurship
Economy and finance
Journalism genres:
Reviews
Interviews and reporting
Information services
Opinion
Investigative journalism
Journalism coverage types and techniques:
Crowdsourcing
Solutions or constructive journalism
Engaged, community-driven or participatory journalism
Explanatory journalism
Cross-border journalism
Collaborative journalism
Fact-checking
Curated/aggregated content
Breaking news
Live coverage of events
Data journalism
Tech platforms and other mediums used:
Messaging service
Social media platforms
Podcast
YouTube
Telegram
WhatsApp
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Tiktok
LinkedIn

Audience and reach

Social media audience

Facebook number of followers:
29,000
Twitter number of followers:
3,596
Instagram number of followers:
16,500
YouTube number of followers:
1,100
Tiktok number of followers:
17,700

Management and team

Founders

Female:
0
Male:
1
Founders:
Marvin Chege
Directors:
Marvin Chege

Team

Full-time employees:
0
Part-time employees:
0
Freelancers or consultants:
0
Volunteers:
0

Business structure and revenue sources

Organization tax status:
Hybrid model (more than one nonprofit or for-profit)

Why is this profile included?

This media outlet is part of our directory because it meets SembraMedia’s inclusion criteria: it produces original content, serves the public interest, and works with independence and transparency. This profile was developed using information provided directly by the media outlet, through surveys or interviews. We aim to keep the information current, but SembraMedia does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness, and recommends verifying any key details with the media organization.

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