The writings are not new to the city, except for a visitor. For city dwellers, it is a common sight.
So said a television report on the infamous graffiti reading ‘Flossin Mauwano’ on Nairobi streets.
The graffiti, which has been splashed across the cityscape, has raised questions about whether it constitutes vandalism.
Originally common in Nairobi, the writings are now slowly but surely becoming a familiar sight in Kisumu.
The infamous graffiti writing ‘Flossin Mauwano’ on different Kisumu street walls on April 03, 2025.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo| Nation
A stroll along the Kisumu-Kakamega Road reveals bold black-and-white inscriptions on church walls, hospitals, abandoned buildings, and shops.
The wall markings are becoming a source of concern for some city residents, who claim they are tarnishing the image of an otherwise clean city.
Some say it is the work of a cult creeping into Kisumu, while others want the person behind the inscriptions to be reprimanded for defacing painted walls.
“The graffiti has been on the walls for a couple of weeks now, yet the person behind them remains unknown,” says Mr James Okutta, a boda boda rider.
Mr Okutta says he first noticed the writings last month on buildings near United Mall while going about his daily errands.
His trips across the city later revealed even more graffiti along the highway, all the way to Kondele.
“We’ve been wondering who the person behind the graffiti is and what their aim is. We also want to know at what time they inscribe the writings,” says Mr Okutta.
Ms Nancy Atieno, a trader at the busy Kibuye market, says the inscriptions are an insult to building owners who spent time and money to paint their walls.
St Theresa's Catholic Church in Kibuye, just opposite the open-air market, is among the most recently defaced buildings, she says.
“If this continues, all our buildings will be covered in graffiti. Soon, we might even see buildings in the Central Business District bearing the same writings,” she said.
In 2022, Flossin Mauwano became a trending topic after a photo of the graffiti on a pillar along the Nairobi Expressway went viral.
The infamous graffiti writing 'Flossin Mauwano' on various street walls in Kisumu on April 3, 2025. Originally common in Nairobi, the writings are now slowly but surely becoming a common sight in Kisumu.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo| Nation
The graffiti was linked to Stephen Mule, also known as ‘Flossin’, but he denied any part of the expressway graffiti, linking it to his legion of fans.
But the expressway ‘fame’ was not the beginning; in fact, it was not even his highlight.
Apart from the expressway, the name had been plastered on buildings along major highways, with fingers pointing at Mr Mule—a man known to have a Flossin tattoo on his forehead.
The Flossin tag has in the past been associated with politicians, criminal gangs, or idle youth seeking attention.
However, in a past interview, Mr Mule, claimed Flossin Mauwano is a movement, and that one of his fans may have been responsible for the graffiti on the expressway.
Mr Mule further explained that he adopted the name and began plastering it near major highway accident black spots in memory of his parents, who were involved in a crash along Lang’ata Road in 1997.
In an earlier interview, Mr Mule recounted how he watched his parents being hit by a speeding vehicle while fleeing an irate crowd during the 1997 post-election violence.
He said the traumatic experiences following their deaths inspired him to coin the name Flossin Mauwano and mark black spots with the graffiti.
According to him, the slogan is meant to raise awareness about road safety and serve as a reminder of the accident that claimed his parents’ lives.
“I thought of how I could help; road signs were present, but no one cared about them. As an artist, I thought of how to combat the menace and came up with the slogan. It sounds mysterious, but go check, most of the signings are around blackspots. This is something I took upon myself, and I never explained it to anyone. I mark the place and move on,” Flossin had told The Standard in the 2022 interview.
When contacted for comment, Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga and County Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo said they were unaware of the graffiti’s presence.
Mr Leparmorijo stated that his office would launch an investigation to determine who is behind the graffiti and their motives.
“My office is not informed about the matter, but we will launch investigations to find out who is behind it,” he said.
