Luo heritage takes centre stage as 11 cultural communities, local suppliers and a Naivas Fresh food experience converge for the campaign’s grand finale.
KISUMU, KENYA — September 18, 2026 — Naivas Supermarkets has brought its flagship “Naivas Ni Kwetu” (Naivas is Home) campaign to a colourful close in Kisumu, celebrating Kenya’s cultural diversity while showcasing local suppliers, fresh food and the retailer’s nationwide customer proposition.
The Cultural Day, which marked the climax of the first quarter of Naivas’ 2027 financial year campaign, placed Luo heritage at the centre of a broader celebration featuring 11 cultural representations.
The Luo community served as the anchor, alongside the Kisii (Gusii), Suba, Kuria, Luhya, Teso, Samia, Kipsigis, Nandi and Maasai communities, as well as the Asian community.
The event was curated by Naivas’ marketing team in partnership with local cultural advisers and the Museums of Kenya, Kisumu.
“Every community you see represented here was curated in partnership with the Museums of Kenya, Kisumu, together with advisers from those communities. The strategic point is simple: at Naivas, home is bigger than any one community,” said Florence Saronge, Head of Marketing at Naivas.
“Our customers come from everywhere, and home, as we understand it, must be big enough for all of them.”
Culture Meets Commerce
The celebration featured three key experiences designed to connect cultural identity with Naivas’ retail proposition.
The Ni Kwetu Marketplace brought regional and national suppliers directly to consumers, allowing them to showcase and sample their products. The marketplace highlighted how local producers can use Naivas’ nationwide retail platform to reach customers at scale.
The Taste of Ni Kwetu experience placed Naivas Fresh at the centre of the celebration, with regional dishes prepared using products sourced through the retailer’s fresh supply chain.
The event culminated in a grand cultural performance featuring all participating communities, bringing together the campaign’s central message of diverse cultures sharing one home.
Supporting Local Suppliers
Beyond the cultural celebrations, Naivas said the Kisumu event also highlighted its continued investment in Western Kenya through fresh-sourcing networks and partnerships with local suppliers.
The company said these relationships support local livelihoods while strengthening the supply chain that supplies its stores across the country.
For Naivas, the campaign reflects a broader approach to retail that places community engagement alongside commerce, particularly as the retailer continues to expand its nationwide footprint.
Naivas CEO Andreas von Palseke said the campaign was intended to demonstrate the company’s commitment to making customers feel represented wherever they shop.
“Naivas Ni Kwetu is our promise made visible. When a customer walks into any of our stores in Kisumu, in Nairobi, in Mombasa, anywhere, they should feel that the store understands the home they come from,” he said.
“Today, Kisumu taught the whole company what that feels like. We are deeply honoured to be guests of this community.”
Naivas Chief Commercial Officer Jorsen Patten said the event demonstrated the link between cultural authenticity and commercial opportunity.
“Culture and commerce are not competing agendas, they are the same agenda,” Patten said.
He added that the marketplace represented Naivas’ commercial model by bringing together regional and national suppliers, local sourcing and a retail platform capable of giving homegrown products wider market access.
The Kisumu celebration marks the conclusion of the first quarter of the FY2027 Naivas Ni Kwetu campaign, reinforcing the retailer’s positioning of its stores as spaces that reflect the communities they serve.
