| Genre: | mystery-crime, and drama |
| Country: | Kenya |
| Language: | English Swahili |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 16 |
| Executive Producer: | Allan Sperling |
| Runtime: | 42-60 minutes |
| Company: | Showmax Canal+ |
| Channel: | Showmax Canal+ |
| Related: | Crime and Justice Lagos |
Crime and Justice (released on Canal+ as Crime et Justice: Nairobi) is a 2021 Kenyan Showmax Original mystery, crime, and drama series produced by Showmax and Canal+, starring Alfred Munyua, Sarah Hassan, Maqbul Mohammed, Paul Ogola, and Brian Ogola.
Crime and Justice is a police procedural and legal drama that follows the detective Makena (Hassan) and Silas (Munyua) as they investigate a one-ripped-from-the-headlines case, and safeguard the streets of Nairobi. Dealing with all manner of crime, they must learn to trust each other's instincts in the pursuit of justice.
On 30 July 2020, Multichoice announced the partnership between Showmax and CANAL+ co-production on Blood Psalms, a drama series set to premiere on Showmax in 2021.[1]
On 12 January 2021, following their partnership, they announced the production of Crime and Justice,[2] a crime series set in Nairobi, directed and produced by Adam Neutzsky-Wulff. Speaking about the production, CEO of MultiChoice Connected Video, Yolisa Phahle, said “MultiChoice was fundamentally an African business invested in telling African stories reflecting in the lives, languages, and cultures of the continent. We believe in African talent and look forward to shining the international spotlight on not only Kenyan stars, but the Kenyan technical industry's capabilities, and we believe that streaming video is a powerful way to deliver these stories. This is one of many more Showmax Originals.”
The cast was reported when the first episode for season 1 began, with a line-up of Alfred Munyua, Sarah Hassan, Maqbul Mohammed, Paul Ogola, and Brian Ogola.
Shortly after MultiChoice announce their partnership, the main cast spoke about their role during the press release. Speaking with The Media Online reporter, the lead actors Alfred Munyua, and Sarah Hassan spoke about their characters in the series, Munyua said “When I first read the script, I loved the delivery and realness of Silas as a character. It’s not exaggerated and he’s no Rambo hero; he just tackles his cases the normal way. I found a very real edge with this script, and I hope I’ll do justice to the role”. Hassan spoke about her character, saying “This is a very different character; I’ve never played anything like Makena before. It’s very exciting to get a character that makes me grow as an actor”.
On 1 December 2021, Showmax renewed another season and announced they have officially begun filming.[3] On 11 January 2022, Showmax confirmed the second season, was ready to be released in February.[4] On 17 February 2022, Showmax held a private screening of the first episode of the second season of Crime and Justice.[5]
In a review, Carlos Mutethi of Quartz Africa said: "Crime and Justice is based on topics that have dominated Kenyan headlines, including femicide and domestic violence."[6] He also added, "[a]long the way, the series exposes bias and other weaknesses in the police and the judicial systems."
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Kalasha Awards | Best TV Drama | Crime and Justice | [7] [8] | |
| Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama | Sarah Hassan for Crime and Justice |