FREETOWN, November 12, 2026 — In a historic feat that has gripped the nation for the past week, Sierra Leonean chef and former Housemates Salone star Kumba Sinah, popularly known as Chef Kumzee, has successfully finished her 163-hour cooking marathon at Kabbana, Lumley Beach Road in Freetown.
What started at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, November 5th, as an ambitious dream to put Sierra Leone on the Guinness World Records map, ended at exactly 4:00 PM on Tuesday, November 11th, to loud cheers, tears, and celebration.
The final minutes were electric. Popular rapper King Boss La (LAJ) and Housemates Salone Season 4 winner Suad Baydoun joined Kumzee on stage as she plated her last dish, marked her time log, and officially brought the 163-hour nonstop cookathon to a close.
For seven straight days and nights, Chef Kumzee cooked through exhaustion, heat from the burners, and sleep deprivation, adhering to strict Guinness World Records rules which allow only 5 minutes of rest for every hour of continuous cooking. The entire attempt was covered by continuous video recording, independent timekeepers, and witnesses.
The 163-hour mark is significant. If verified by Guinness World Records in London, it will break the current official record of 119 hours, 57 minutes, 16 seconds held by Irish Chef Alan Fisher in Japan, and surpass recent West African attempts including Nigerian Chef Hilda Baci’s 93-hour feat in 2023 and Liberian-Australian Chef Evette Quoibia’s 140-hour attempt.
This was more than just cooking. Chef Kumzee used the platform to showcase Sierra Leonean cuisine — from rich cassava leaves, groundnut soup, jollof rice and fish balls to continental dishes — serving hundreds of free meals to supporters who trooped to Kabbana daily.
The marathon had not been easy. In October, the My Food by Kumzee CEO had to issue a public appeal to President Julius Maada Bio, First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, government ministries, banks and corporate Sierra Leone for support after her application had been accepted by Guinness in July but sponsorship was slow.
That support eventually came pouring in. By the final 48 hours, Kabbana had become a national pilgrimage site, with politicians including APC flagbearer aspirant Dr. Ibrahim Bangura, entertainers, fellow Housemates, and ordinary Sierra Leoneans providing solidarity.
If confirmed, this will be Sierra Leone’s third Guinness World Record, after the largest Sampa dance in 2012 and Mary Yongai’s 2024 record for 111 cosmetic makeovers in 24 hours.
For now, Chef Kumzee’s team will submit thousands of hours of video evidence, witness forms and log sheets to Guinness for verification — a process that takes 8 to 12 weeks.
But on the beach at Kabbana on Tuesday evening, one thing was clear: history had been made.
