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Meet Kenya's brainy celebs who followed their dreams

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brainy celebs
 They choose to pursue their dreams in arts, music or business

Most ‘A’ students aspire to be medical doctors, aeronautical engineers, actuaries and other professions dominated by the brainy types.

Those who choose to take the less travelled road, mainly in entertainment or a field considered less prestigious, are always castigated and at times ostracised even by their families.

These brainy kids who choose to pursue their dreams in arts, music or business, often disappoint their families and peers.

Typically, very few Kenyan parents would sell their precious parcels of land to send their daughters to Yale to study Arts. How now?

What would the neighbours who have a lawyers, doctors and pilots think of them?

Anyway,  Lupita Ngong’o’s dreams were valid and so are those of a few local celebs who shelved their professional training to pursue their passion.

Here are some unassuming celebs whose academic credentials can knock off your socks:

Wahu Kagwi, the queen of ‘githafu’

Wahu Kagwi is more than a pretty face with a beautiful voice.

She can swing her hips, entice any man with her ‘Sweet Love’ and doesn’t mince her words to all ‘Mr Liars!’

 Although she refuses to reveal what grades she scored in high school, she hints that she passed with flying colours.

As a student at Precious Blood Secondary School, Riruta, Wahu, together with a friend, wrote her first song, Showers of Blessings, as a tribute to God for the national academic success that the school enjoyed.

 The song is to date part of the school’s hymnal collection. After high school, Wahu began working with various media houses on TV and radio jingles.

 The money from these short contracts went towards her university education at the University of Nairobi, where she studied for a Bachelor of Science degree and majored in Mathematics.Yes, maths! The songbird can apparently find the value of ‘y’ with her eyes closed!

Just like her song, Sitishiki, Wahu is not one to be easily cowed and can hold her own in the company of geniuses.

She also holds a master’s degree in communication.

“In all honesty, I love maths, but I believe that my line of business is complemented by communication,” she said.

Her ladyship, Esther Arunga

Esther Arunga is an alumnus of Kenya High School. She is a holder of a bachelor’s degrees in communication, as well as a law degree from the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. She finished her one-year stint at the Kenya School of Law before being admitted to the bar in 2009.

She worked as an announcer and journalist at 98.4 Capital FM and later at Kenya Television Network.

Esther even won the 2008 CHAT (Chaguo La Teeniez) award for Best TV Anchor/Presenter.

The sky, it seemed, was the limit. Then one Quincy Timberlake stepped into the picture and sent her life into a tailspin. Esther now lives in Australia.

Nameless the pro ‘mason’

Nameless, just like his wife Wahu, is not only talented, but also brainy.

The tall, dark and handsome musician is an alumnus of Strathmore University.

Back in the day, he was a sprinter. His proudest moment was graduating second best in campus in his year. He studied for a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree at the University of Nairobi.

 

Top cream: DJ Crème) was index one

You would probably assume that the brainy types would have nothing to do with spinning decks. But George Njuguna aka DJ Crème de la Crème was index one in primary school, scored an A- in KCSE and graduated with a second-upper division  bachelor of science degree in computer science from Kabarak University.

DJ Crème notes that while growing up, deejaying was considered as lowly and for those who were not focused in life or had performed poorly in school.

But he stuck to his guns and followed his passion.

Today, he is  the most celebrated DJ in East Africa, having started deejaying in 2003 while in university.

But it was not until 2006 that he got serious.

He reveals that when he started out, he used to make a video mix called The Chronic for matatus, and then he’d get stall owners in town to advertise on it for about Sh6,000 each.

So why did he choose this path?

“It paid the rent. I also hated the idea of an office job where I had to take orders from someone. So, I had to make it work one way or the other,” he explains.

Cunning ‘Kaka Sungura’ is A-material

Popular rapper Rabbit was among the top KCSE students in 2006. An alumnus of Eastleigh High School, Rabbit scored an A- in the secondary exams.

He later joined Kenya College of Accounts where he graduated with a degree in accounts.

Rabbit, however, chose to rap instead of balancing books, a decision that disappointed his parents.

“My parents were deeply hurt since they had invested so much in my education. They have however learnt how to support my dreams since my music career has been very successful,” he said.

Rabbit occasionally audits for his friends’ firms.

Engineer Kenrazy craze for music

An alumnus of St Marys Secondary School in Yala, he  scored a B+. Kenrazy later joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to study computer engineering. He later put school on hold to pursue his music career.

“I hope to go back to school very soon. I have a few more semesters to go,” Kenrazy who is married to fellow musician Sosun told The Nairobian. The couple has one child.

Peniel Weru is ‘chessing’ his dreams

Little-known reigning chess champion, Peniel Weru, is a former student at Starehe Boys Centre.

Peniel scored an A in the 2014 examinations, despite juggling between academics and the game, which he started playing 12 years ago.

“For more than 10 years, I have juggled between academics and chess. I do schoolwork on weekdays, and play chess on weekends,” he said.

Peniel attributed his success to his parents and teachers at Brookfield Academy, where he sat his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Starehe Boys Centre, which he said inspired and encouraged him to work hard.

 

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