New crime drama, Mizani, to premiere on Showmax

Award-winning Kenyan filmmaker Daudi Anguka is set to make his highly anticipated Showmax debut with the new crime drama, Mizani, premiering February 5, 2026.

Shot and set in Mombasa, the series plunges viewers into the city’s shadowy criminal underbelly, where power, corruption, and survival collide.

Anguka, one of the most prominent filmmakers from Kenya’s Coastal region, is widely celebrated for hit Swahili telenovelas such as Pete, Sanura, and Mkasi, as well as Mvera—Kenya’s official submission to the 2024 Academy Awards. He helms Mizani under his production banner, AR Film Productions, further cementing his reputation for socially grounded, high-impact storytelling.

Mizani follows Suleiman, a journalist portrayed by Michael Saruni (The Chocolate Empire), whose life is turned upside down when his daughter is kidnapped by a powerful organ trafficking syndicate operating along the Coast. Desperate to save her, Suleiman is forced into a dangerous battle against a politically protected criminal network.

As his investigation deepens, he uncovers a disturbing web of corruption, power struggles, and long-buried family secrets, blurring the line between truth and survival in a city where justice has a price.

The show features an ensemble cast including Stephanie Maseki (Mkasi), Kalasha nominee Kieth Chuaga (Jiji), Kalasha winners Jack Mutinda (Real Househelps of Kawangware) and Denis Humphrey (Sultana), Anita Wawuda (Jiji), Reinhard Inzai Bonke (Kam U Stay), Bhavnesh Chudasama (Subterranea), Mehul Malde (Crime & Justice), Kathleen Mckenzie (Maria), Ashik Ali (Zari), Mariam Mzee (Sultana), Patrick Owino (Zari), Victor Opondo (Mvera) and Nima Kubo (Karata). Child actors Lyndsey Wanjiku and Ethan Mdeinzi make their TV debut.

Mizani is directed by J.A. Chumbe (4Play), Eric Mdagaya (Mkasi), Bill Jones Afwani (18 Hours), and Isaya Evans (Reckless). The writers’ room brings together Ambat Rioba Mann (Jiji), Brian Munene (Subterranea), Kevin Amakobe, and Bill Jones Afwani, ensuring layered storytelling and narrative depth.