Kenyan socialite Amber Ray and beauty entrepreneur Phoina Tosha, commonly known as Phoina, have finally opened up about the cause of their fallout in 2021.
The two were once inseparable, often seen together enjoying brunches and wine tastings.
However, their friendship came to an abrupt halt, leaving fans puzzled and speculating about the reason behind their split.
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Back in 2021, Amber Ray made it clear that she and Phoina were no longer friends.
“We are not friends, and we are not hiding it. I still believe in BFFs because I have friends I’ve known for many years. Life has reasons, and people also have seasons in our lives. If it works, well and good, if it doesn’t, sawa,”
Despite Amber’s openness about their broken friendship, neither she nor Phoina provided specific details about what had led to their separation, leaving fans with many unanswered questions.
READ: Amber Ray explains real reason Rapudo moved out of 5-bedroom house shortly after split
The long-awaited explanation finally came during the first episode of their new reality show, ‘NaiRich,’ which premiered on Showmax on August 30.
The show, featuring Amber, Phoina, and other Kenyan celebrities such as Risper Faith and KRG The Don, delves into the lives of Nairobi’s elite.
During a wine-tasting outing with Amber, Risper, and Phoina, the topic of their fallout was unexpectedly brought up by Risper.
She expressed her curiosity about what had caused the two friends to drift apart and then reconcile without providing any explanation to their fans.
Amber Ray took the opportunity to open up about the incident that led to their fallout. According to Amber, she considered Phoina more like a sister than just a friend and expected transparency between them.
Amber felt hurt and betrayed when she realised that a man she was involved with at the time had shown interest in Phoina, and Phoina had not informed her about it.
“For me, I was really hurt because I took you as my sister,” Amber said. “You just had to tell me this and that because I had already seen it.
“She knew my position and the situation, so for her to play chini chini (under the radar), that’s what really triggered me and hurt me,” Amber said.
Phoina Tosha responded by defending herself, stating that she has no control over how a man looks at her when they are out together.
She explained that during a night out with Amber and the man in question, the man had looked at her inappropriately. Later, he obtained her number from one of Amber’s friends and reached out to her.
“Amber came to my DM, and we didn’t even talk about the beef. We just started talking like nothing had happened. Initially, I didn’t know why she had gone quiet on me,” Phoina explained. “You see, when I’m out with you and my man is looking at you, I can’t accuse you of anything. If the guy likes you, I can’t control it,” she said.
Phoina emphasised that she never had any romantic involvement with the man and felt hurt by the accusations.
“As much as she thinks I had something with this person, that’s not true. It also hurt me because I felt like I was accused wrongly. That is something I would never do. If you feel like I stole your man, just look me in the eye and tell me this hurt, this and that,” she said.
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Despite the fallout, Phoina stated that it did not affect her deeply when Amber stopped talking to her for a year.
She believed that friendships should not be forced, and if the friendship was meant to end, she was willing to accept that.
“It didn’t hurt my feelings that Amber did not talk to me for one year because we cannot force friendships, we cannot force anything, so I was just like it’s okay,” Phoina said.
Though Amber and Phoina did not disclose the identity of the man involved, Risper Faith, a mutual friend, hinted that she knew more about the situation.
Risper claimed that Phoina and the man did not just have a brief interaction but were still in communication.
