16 Days of Activism
Mural to Stop Gender-Based Violence
As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an initiative organized under the auspices of UN Women, the Embassy of Spain in Kenya, in collaboration with the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Spanish engineering firm Centunion, is supporting the creation of a commemorative mural at Nairobi’s T-Mall Flyover.
Though inaugurated in 2022 by then-President Uhuru Kenyatta, the T-Mall Flyover has already become an emblem of modern Nairobi architecture. Strategically located along Lang’ata Road—one of the city’s main arteries connecting the city center to the west—the site experiences heavy traffic flow daily. Beneath the overpass, the pedestrian area has evolved into a lively community space, frequented by people resting, socializing, or waiting for public transport. This makes it a prime and visible location for a public artwork that carries a message of awareness and social change.
For this mural, the organizers have partnered with two acclaimed Kenyan muralists and illustrators: Chela Chelwek and Bhupi Jethwa, known artistically as Wise Two. Both are leading voices in Kenya’s contemporary art scene—embodying a bold, socially conscious, and feminist spirit. Their works span across Africa, Latin America, and Europe, using art as a tool to challenge norms and promote dialogue.
The mural painting will commence on November 29th and conclude on December 5th at 11:30 AM, when it will be officially unveiled by the Spanish Ambassador to Kenya and the Director of KURA.
Aligned with the feminist principles that guide Spain’s foreign policy and development cooperation, as well as KURA’s commitment to combating gender-based violence, this initiative aims to spark conversation, reflection, and awareness. Its prominent location and lasting presence will ensure that its message continues to resonate deeply, particularly among Kenya’s youth, long after the campaign ends.
Learn more about the artists:
Chela (Nancy Cherwon)
Nancy Cherwon known professionally as Chela, is a leading Kenyan graffiti artist whose vibrant, community-centered murals have reshaped public spaces across Nairobi and beyond; she discovered graffiti while studying at the University of Nairobi and honing her practice at creative hubs such as PAWA254, and today her signature projects (including the recent colorful façade for Kukito Restaurant on Kimathi Street) combine illustration, mentorship and public engagement as she regularly trains and collaborates with young artists in neighborhoods like Jericho, Korogocho and Baba Ndogo, and has exhibited in major local shows such as Street Diaries at the Railway Museum, work that positions her at the forefront of Kenya’s feminist, socially-minded street-art movement.
WiseTwo (Bhupi Jethwa)
Bhupendra “Bhupi” Jethwa (WiseTwo) is a multidisciplinary Kenyan muralist whose large-scale paintings and emblematic mask imagery fuse ancient iconography with contemporary urban language; since 2012 he has painted in well over a dozen countries across Africa, Latin America, Europe and the United States, producing some of East and Central Africa’s largest murals and high-profile public commissions, from the multi-storey mask façade at Ibis Styles Nairobi to a prominent billboard for Sauti Sol’s Midnight Train album in Westlands and his work features in notable institutional and commercial collections (Walt Disney World/EPCOT projects, Converse offices in Mexico City, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and United Nations/UNEP offices among them), as well as global festivals and exhibitions that have helped establish him as one of Africa’s most visible and internationally active street artists.