Living
Moja Moja
Also known as M3 · The Topi Boy Who Rose
c. 2020/21 – present
Born in Topi Plains, Masai Mara, Kenya
Moja Moja, or Moja, known to guides as M3, is one of the seven Topi Boys of Kenya’s Masai Mara, the son of the Topi lioness Longneck. Photographers single him out for the distinctive scars on his face.
The Topi Boys are seven young males born around 2020–2021, during the Covid years, to lionesses of the Topi Pride on the Topi Plains of Kenya’s Masai Mara. Their fathers were the Sala’s males, Olepolos, Osapuk and Orkitok. In December 2024 the seven pushed the ageing Bila Shaka brothers out of the Musiara Marsh and took over the famous Marsh Pride, and they have since spread to the Paradise Pride and pressed into the Mara Triangle. Guides number them M1 to M7: Ukingo, Otipo, Moja Moja, Kiongozi (Kio), Vuli, Nzuri and Djodjo.
Moja Moja has twice been treated by the Kenya Wildlife Service after attacks by herders, and in February 2025 he was fitted with a research collar to help prevent conflict with people. Once a subordinate male, by 2026 he had become one of the coalition’s most influential, active in patrols, hunting and mating; in July 2025 guides found him beside a zebra he had killed and a whole topi he had stolen from hyenas.
Profile
Identity
- Name
- Moja MojaThe name he is best known by
- Nicknames
- Moja; M3
- Origin of the name
- From the Swahili moja, “one”
- Sex
- Male
- Distinguishing features
- Distinctive facial scars; a research collar since 2025
- Weight
- Information not availableFor reference, adult male lions usually weigh 150–260 kg
Birth & Family
- Born
- c. 2020 – 2021
- Birthplace
- Topi Plains, Masai Mara, Kenya
- Birth pride
- Topi Pride
- Father
- Olepolos (reported)
- Mother
- Information not availableA Topi Pride lioness
- Siblings
- Ukingo, Otipo, Moja Moja, Kio, Vuli, Nzuri and Djodjo (brothers and half-brothers)
Reign
- Pride king
- Yes; increasingly influential among the Topi Boys
- Prides ruled
- Marsh Pride (from December 2024); Paradise Pride (from early 2026)
- Pride size
- Information not available
- Reign
- About 2 years so far (December 2024 – present)
- Ruled with
- His Topi brothers
- Coalition
- The Topi Boys
- Home range
- The Musiara Marsh, Topi Plains and Paradise Plains, Masai Mara, Kenya
- Territory size
- Information not available
Death
- Died
- Information not availableStill living as of 2026
- Age at death
- Information not availableAbout 5–6 in 2026
- Cause of death
- Information not available
- Place of death
- Information not available
- Burial
- Information not available
Names & Meanings
Moja is Swahili for “one”.
His number among the seven.
Family & Lineage
Life Story
- c. 2020 – 2021
Born in the Topi Pride on the Topi Plains, a son of one of the Sala’s males.
- December 2024
With his six brothers, drove the Bila Shaka males out of the Marsh and took the Marsh Pride.
- Before 2025
Twice treated for injuries after attacks by herders.
- 28 February 2025
Collared by the Mara Predator Conservation Programme and Kenya Wildlife Service.
- July 2025
Killed a zebra and stole a topi from hyenas.
- January 2026
Mated with the Marsh lioness Enkerai.
Legend & Truth
Collared for safety
His collar lets researchers warn herders when he approaches livestock, one way of reducing conflict between lions and people.
Photographs
Film
Animation
Sources
- Governors’ Camp — The Marsh Pride and the Topi Boys
- Governors’ Camp — Masai Mara wildlife, July 2025
- Governors’ Camp — Masai Mara wildlife, October 2025
- Governors’ Camp — Masai Mara wildlife, January 2026
- Governors’ Camp — Safari report, April – June 2026
- WildFact forum — Coalitions of Masai Mara (Topi Boys)
Where sources disagree, the most widely reported figure is shown, with other reports noted beneath it.