In Mombasa, there are those who spend the afternoon by the barbecue, those who spend the whole evening there, those who pop by but can’t afford to buy anything and leave, and those who, evidently, have decided that five days is a reasonable amount of time for a good barbecue. His name is Yusuf Garani, he’s a chef from Mombasa, and he has just spent 130 hours by the barbecue – that is, five days and five nights – in an attempt to enter the Guinness World Records.

The attempt, which began on 2 August and ended on 8 August at the Swahilipot Hub in Mombasa, saw Garani surpass the previous world record: 98 hours and 8 minutes, set in September 2025 by South African Gielie Basson.

In short, Garani didn’t just make nyama choma: he turned the barbecue into a sort of permanent residence. One hundred and thirty hours is more than five days – enough time to see the sky above Mombasa change several times, whilst he carried on tending to the meat, embers and fire.

And of course, in Kenya, an event like this was bound to turn into a communal celebration. Throughout the duration of the challenge, supporters, onlookers and food enthusiasts dropped by the Swahilipot Hub to cheer on the chef. The organisers had also announced a free barbecue for the public: because if someone is about to break a world record by barbecuing, it would be almost rude to watch on an empty stomach.

Garani celebrated the end of the marathon on social media with a simple message: it had been a tough challenge, but he’d made it, thanking everyone who had supported him.

However, this is not the first time the chef has attempted to turn cooking into a race against time. Last October, he had already undertaken a 100-hour culinary marathon in his home kitchen in Bamburi, preparing traditional Swahili and Kenyan dishes such as biryani, pilau, chapati and viazi karai, alongside other international specialities whose authenticity remains to be verified.

Behind the challenge lies more than just a desire to feature in the record book. Garani wants to draw attention to African cuisine and the work of its professionals, showing an international audience just how rich and sophisticated the continent’s culinary traditions are.

Now, however, comes the less spectacular but decisive part: the red tape. The record is not yet officially his. The evidence from the marathon will have to be submitted to Guinness World Records, which will need to verify the documentation, testimonies and compliance with the rules governing this type of record. Until then, Basson’s record remains the official one.

If everything is ratified, South Africa will therefore have to hand over the barbecue and the world title to Mombasa. And Yusuf Garani will finally be able to put out the embers. After 130 hours, it’s not just him who needs a rest – the charcoal probably does too.