Imagine going after a mysterious powerful enemy who’s pulling strings from the shadows and silencing those who dare challenge them. This is the predicament of detectives Makena (Sarah Hassan) and Silas (Alfred Munyua) in Crime and Justice S2, now streaming on Showmax.
The first episode, titled “The Death Squad”, kicks off with Barasa’s (John Sibi-Okumu) daughter’s grand wedding that goes awry, courtesy of Milo (Ahmed Musa). The vigilante serial killer is back to finish what he started in the season one finale – ridding the city of its most corrupt citizens.
As Makena and Silas race to solve the case and stop Milo, they make a shocking discovery – that Milo is just a pawn for a much bigger and more dangerous organisation who will do anything to protect their secrets. In short, no one is safe. Not even Makena or Silas, who’s still threatened by the imminent consequences of his shady past. We got an inkling of this in season one’s finale, when it was revealed that Silas is on Milo’s hit list. But it would seem that even with his dirty secrets, there’s some redemption to look forward to for the by-the-book and sometimes indifferent detective after all in the new season.
“Silas has found his passion again. He’s dealing with the cases with more heart than in season one, mostly because of his interaction with his partner Makena,” Munyua says. While Munyua embraces Silas’ passion for the job, Hassan is excited for the audience to finally understand where Makena’s comes from. “They will finally find out why Makena is the way she is and why she’s affected so much by some of the cases she takes on,” Hassan says.
Season 2 is a different gameplay for both leads. “It has a lot of depth and freshness in all aspects, from the script to the blend of seasoned guest stars to a top-notch crew that gets the job done,” Munyua says. And going by episode 1 alone, the stakes are much higher than ever, and justice even more flawed. For Hassan, preparation was key to adapt to this season’s pace and settle into Makena’s new arc.
“Knowing her journey this season, I had to do more research to emotionally prepare to be in Makena’s headspace and be able to capture the authenticity of her new journey.” More stunts are required of her character this season too. “I did a lot of physical training before filming began to prepare for that.” Crime and Justice S2 also welcomes some of the best actors in Kenya, like Charles Ouda (Better Days, Makutano Junction) who, fresh from New York’s theatre scene, makes a comeback into local TV after seven years.
“It’s an awesome feeling to kick off things with a show like Crime and Justice, and to work with Sarah Hassan [they used to host the show Discovery +254 together] and Alfred Munyua [they both starred in The First Grader] again, as well as Mumbi Maina. I can think of no better way to return home,” Ouda says.
Ouda, who appears in Episode 1, plays Kenneth Mumbi, the Chief Administrative Secretary for the National Treasury. He’s also a member of the aforementioned powerful organisation and has benefited from its influence over the years but he’s just as expendable as anyone who dares to go against it. No one is safe, remember?
“They’re hiding in the shadows. They’re everywhere: the prison, your neighbour’s house, the shopkeeper across the road, your children’s school, even here (Nairobi Metropol Police),” Ouda’s character Kenneth reveals.
Like Ouda, his onscreen partner Mumbi Maina (Sense8, The Matrix Resurrections) has been absent from the local TV scene for a while. “Crime and Justice felt right because it’s a testament of how much we’ve grown and how far we’ve come as an industry,” she says.
