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It’s no longer easy to prank people on April Fools’ Day because most now expect to be pranked. They are therefore on the lookout for pranks so even when they happen they are not really surprised.

However some people and companies have upped their creativity and still deliver pranks that people fall for. Here are some of the Kenyan ones that I feel were brilliant.

1. UberNyonyo

Mummy blog, mumsvillage.com through a post shared that they’d been testing a new app called UberNyonyo. The app would apparently transport via boda bodas pumped milk from mothers from home or work in small freezers. They also indicated that the app had over 100,000 downloads and crashed their beta test environment.

People bought it and some blogs even ran it as a story.

2. Safaricom Mathree

Safaricom announced in a blog post that they would launch a luxurious shuttle service for Nairobi. You’d be able to pay via M-PESA, get Wi-Fi, charge your phone and even Okoa a ride.

They offered 1000 people free rides plus a chance to be driven by a Kenyan celebrity if they signed up via a link. People actually signed up :-).

3. Kenya Power responsive website

Designed outfit Ark Africa shared a GIF on Twitter, which by all appearances looked like it was about the Kenyan Power website. It changed dramatically into a tutorial about how to light a candle. This was a dig at KPLC and its sometimes unreliable power supply.

4. Snake in the bedroom

Filmmaker Mercy Murugi’s househelp delivered a top class prank. She told her that there was a snake in her bed after which Mercy understandably panicked before going to get help.

And the award for the most brilliantly pulled April Fools joke goes to my housegirl. She screams from my bedroom, calling my name. I rush up the stairs almost falling down.. remember the floors are still wet from the overnight flood. I get to the door and she screams again… kaa hapo, usisonge (Stop there. Don’t move). Kuna nyoka kwa kitanda yako. ( There’s a snake on your bed). I rush back down and call a pal … even tell her to come with a camera. We both run back up. Housegirl is now hiding in the bathroom… door closed. Iko chini ya kiti (it’s under the couch) she shouts . There’s a couch in my bedroom near the door. We sprint across the room and join her in the bathroom… peeping to see if the snake comes out. All the while I am thinking… I slept with a snake on my bed!!! My pal is too scared to even start her camera. We are shouting at Frosty to leave the room just in case the snake comes out and he attacks it. Then calmly my house girl asks. Mercy, Leo ni siku gani? (what day is it?).

5. Get a sponsor through Rupu

Rupu had a product ‘offer’ for its customers which gave them a chance to get a sponsor aka blesser. What made this one brilliant was the copy. I especially liked these two paragraphs.

“He sounds like Morgan Freeman and looks like a bearded Idris Elba. He’s got that Arab Money with Bill Gates’ generosity and doesn’t insist on featuring in your selfies”.

“He is the perfect sponsor, highly customizable and also available in Drake light and Djimon Black.”

It had a nice twist in that all proceeds from the sale of offer will be donated to the Homeless of Nairobi Charity.