Chef Maliha's fate unknown as Guinness World Record remains mum

The fate of a Mombasa County chef who broke the record by cooking for 150 hours last year is unclear. She is yet to be recognised by Guinness World Records as the chef who cooked at home for the most hours.

“On August 12, 2023, I set a Guinness World Record for the longest home kitchen cooking marathon. I cooked for 95 hours nonstop,” said Chef Maliha Mohammed.

She then submitted her evidence of the longest home kitchen cooking marathon to the Guinness World Record in September 2023.

On November 15, 2023, she set a new Guinness World Record, this time for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.

“I cooked for 150 hours nonstop. I submitted my evidence on January 11, 2024. Both pieces of evidence have been submitted altogether. I was supposed to get the August verification in December, but the GWR replied via email that they needed more evidence, so I gave them more miscellaneous photographic evidence,” said Mohammed.

According to Chef Mohammed, for them to process her verification quickly, she has to pay the GWR of 650 US dollars, or roughly Sh100,000.

 “If I am to pay that amount, I will get the results in five working days. Otherwise, the waiting period is 12 to 15 weeks, depending on the scope and length of the evidence,” she said.

Unfortunately, she does not have the funds.

“I ask my fellow Kenyans to help me bring this record home, as we have been waiting for long enough. I thank God I am okay with just a few side effects of the marathon, such as insomnia, migraines,  muscle cramps, eye problems, and high blood pressure. I did it for my country, my community, my daughters, and the women around the world. It wasn't an easy task, but now I want us to cross the finish line together,” explained Ms. Mohammed.

When Maliha Mohammed's Guinness World Record application is approved, she will be the chef who has cooked at home for the most hours.

The chef, who began cooking on Wednesday, November 15, and finished on Tuesday, November 21, exceeded the previous record set by Alan Fisher, an Irish citizen living in Japan, who cooked for 119 hours and 57 minutes.

Mohamed, a chef who taught herself to cook through YouTube videos, couldn't hold back tears when she completed a six-day non-stop cooking challenge.

"I feel extremely happy and grateful," said Ms. Mohamed last year when she completed the challenge.

Despite being fatigued and having swollen feet from standing for so long, Maliha made over 400 recipes for Kiswahili and other local foods from across the country.

She also created international dishes. Maliha prepared chapati, chips masala, biryani, viazi kari (fried potatoes), rice and beans, and traditional meals like nduma.

"I had three types of breaks. One was to sleep for one hour after every 12 hours of cooking. The second type was to go to the bathroom for five minutes whenever I felt like it, and I was going for a medical examination for five minutes during the break. The doctors have set up a tent where the recipes are being made," said Ms. Mohamed.

The cooking marathon was held at the Pronto Limited Headquarters in Nairobi. Seagas were other major sponsors were Safaricom, Tropical Heat, Choice Meats Halal, The Vijana Network, Impharian Grill, Ocean Majestic, Mountain of Mercy, and Empowering African Women, among others.

Mohamed is also required to pay Sh1.6 million to bring a GWR judge to Kenya for speedy confirmation.

In August 2019, she cooked for 75 hours at the Kenya Bay Beach Hotel after the Pwani Oil Company gave her funding.

However, in September of the same year, the Indian chef Lata Tondon, beat Ms Mohamed's record by completing the marathon cooking in 87 hours and 45 minutes, but was later defeated by the Nigerian chef, Hilda Baci, who cooked for 100 hours.