Eugene Mbugua (born 5 June 1986) is a Kenyan television producer. He is known for creating the shows ''Young Rich'' and producing reality shows like ''Sol Family'', ''Being Bahati,'' '' The Real Housewives of Nairobi and

The Mommy Club NBO ''The Mommy Club NBO'' is a 2025 Kenyan reality television series produced by Eugene Mbugua for Showmax. The show is the fifth installment of ''The Mommy Club'' franchise and documents the lives of five Kenyan affluent mothers. The show is se ...

.''

Early life and education

Mbugua attended Upper Hill Boys High School in Nairobi, Kenya. In high school, he was part of a student-owned canteen, which sold snacks during breaks. After high school, Mbugua was an extra on the local television show ''Inspekta Mwala'', which aired on

Citizen TV Citizen TV is a Kenyan free-to-air television channel owned by Royal Media Services. It broadcasts primarily in English and Swahili. The channel was launched in 1999 and relaunched in June 2006. Royal Media Services also owns iNooro TV and ...

. He was also a boom-swinger on local television shows ''Makutano Junction'' which aired on NTV station and ''Machachari'' on Citizen TV. He attended the United States International University-Africa (USIU), Nairobi where he pursued a bachelor's degree in television production and print media.

Career

In 2013, Mbugua founded Documentary & Reality Studios (D&R Studios), a production company specializing in documentaries and reality storytelling. ''Young Rich'', the company's first production released that same year, made Mbugua, then 22 years old, the youngest producer in Kenya to have a show on national television. The two-year series followed young, successful Kenyan entrepreneurs over eight seasons. In 2016, Mbugua released the first season of ''Our Perfect Wedding.'' The

Showmax Showmax is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service that launched in South Africa on 19 August 2015. Its majority owner is MultiChoice, which owns 70% of the Showmax group, while American conglomerate NBCUniversal owns 3 ...

reality series, which follows Kenyan couples as they plan their wedding, celebrated its 17th season in 2024. In 2018, Mbugua produced ''Being Bahati'', a reality show on the Kenyan gospel musician Bahati and his family. It was the first Kenyan celebrity reality show. In 2019, D&R Studios released ''Foods of Kenya'' on KTN. The series showcased Kenyan local foods and traditions as well as dance and culture. After a 2-year hiatus, the series returned for a second season in February 2021. In 2020, Mbugua produced the reality show ''Sol Family'' which followed the lives of the Kenyan Afropop band

Sauti Sol Sauti Sol is a Kenyan afropop band formed in Nairobi in 2005 by vocalists Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano, and Savara Mudigi. Initially an a cappella group, guitarist Polycarp Otieno joined before they named themselves Sauti Sol. Sauti So ...

and members of their record label Sol Generation Records. That same year, in collaboration with the Kenya Film Association, Mbugua produced ''Concert Nyumbani''. The televised event showcased performances of various Kenyan artists during the COVID-19 pandemic and aired on local TV stations that included K24, KTN, NTV, KBC and Switch TV. 2021 saw the release of Mbugua's next celebrity-driven reality show ''Our Love'', based on Kenyan musicians Nameless and

Wahu Rosemary Wahu Kagwi, professionally known by her mononym Wahu, is a Kenyan singer-songwriter, former fashion model, actress, and entrepreneur. Early life and education Wahu attended Hospital Hill Primary School and proceeded to Precious Blood ...

, which premiered on Showmax on 24 May. Mbugua next followed up with ''Kyallo Culture,'' a 13-episode reality series following the media personality Betty Kyallo and her sisters in 2022. It ranked as one of the top-10 shows on Showmax that year. Season 2 was released the following year. In 2023 Mbugua's '' The Real Housewives of Nairobi'', an international installment of

The Real Housewives ''The Real Housewives'' is an American reality television franchise that began on March 21, 2006, with '' The Real Housewives of Orange County''. Each installment of the franchise documents the personal and professional lives of a group of afflu ...

, aired on

, followed by its second season release in 2024. In 2024, he developed and produced '' The Hot Seat'', a comedy roast tv series for

that debuted in December. In April 2025, the distributor Rushlake Media and D&R Studios announced a partnership in which the German company would distribute D&R Studio's content in North America and Europe. In May 2025,

announced that D&R Studios will be producing Kenyan edition of the Mommy Club Franchise, titled ''

'' that premiered on May 30th on the African streamer.

Other Business Ventures

Mbugua owns ''Number 7'', a nightclub in Nairobi.

Awards and recognitions

* In 2014,

Business Daily The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

listed Eugene Mbugua in the Top 40 Men Under 40 2014. * In 2014, he won a Kalasha Award in the best editor category for the film Child Hire * In 2016,

Forbes Africa ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The c ...

, listed him in the 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa * In 2017, he was listed in Forbes Africa 2017's class of 30 under 30. * In 2024, Africapitol named him as one of the 50 most influential executive leaders in Kenya.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbugua, Eugene Living people Kenyan businesspeople Kenyan business executives Television producers 1986 births