In the cottage with: Penny Nyambura – The versatile DJ

Extremely multi-talented and multi-skilled, Penny Nyambura has almost literally done it all. For school, she studied at Kianda, Serare and finished off her primary education at Thika Road Academy. For secondary schooling, she was at St. Francis Mang’u and St. Lucie Kiriri.

“St. Francis was tough life!” she says, laughing. “There was a bit of culture shock, but I think it helped nurture me, I feel like I can now deal with people from all walks of life.”

Penny and I meet at the culturally authentic Le Palanka restaurant in Lavington. The restaurant serves a great variety of African dishes, this including NigerianEwedu, Senegalese Dibi and an assortment of Kenyan cuisine.

It’s chilly, on the day we meet, but Penny shows up excited, pumped up and ready to go, taking off her cardigan as soon as she sees the cameras. I ask her to retain it, she giggles, and I get it. No way is some black cardigan ruining the well put-together, smart-casual outfit she has on.

As we make chit-chat, she slowly reveals how busy her calendar can be. Penny is a DJ,  an extremely passionate and proud one. She started playing out of her love for music, but, slowly, people recognized her skills, her phone rang and requests streamed in. She hadn’t planned this.

On the evening of our interview, as Kidum and his electric Boda Boda live band serenade the crowd at Le Palanka, Penny, AKA Dj N.Kai (and ‘Money Penny’ to most of her friends) will be playing at a club in Valley Arcade.  But before that, she has calls to make and projects to follow up on. Projects like the farm she owns, where she is currently growing tomatoes for commercial trade. She also has a kindergarten she manages. This, she is ecstatic to talk about, especially considering it helps her explore another of her exciting passions, event organising.

At the kindergarten, she plans a Kids Fun Palooza, where, children and parents from different places get together and engage in a variety of old school and new age fun and games. She’s determined to see this grow into an entertainment event greater than she can imagine.

Penny also models. By now, this news isn’t surprising. Anything she can do, she will.  I talked to her about all her activities, education,  regrets, love and her greatest lessons from 2015.

Where did you go for uni?

I started off at JKUAT, taking Micro-Biology. I chose it simply because I had to pick something, and I loved sciences. Initially, I really wanted to pursue Pharmacy, but then I thought, most pharmacies in Kenya are simply owned by business people who have the money to set them up, so pursuing it in uni probably wouldn’t pay off as much as it should.

Then?

My dad wanted me to change institutions, so we opted for the University of Nairobi. But they didn’t have Micro-Biology on its own as a degree, and I was a bit stranded on what to pursue, getting advice from all these people around me. Eventually, I settled for Bio-Chemistry. I had no idea what it entailed, but I embraced it.

Did you enjoy it?

The first year was okay. The second year, I realized something wasn’t working. I started asking myself: “Where am I going with this?”

I couldn’t keep changing courses though, so I stuck it out. But I’d really lost focus when it came to academics. I never pursued a career in the field.

No?

No. All I did was an internship at KEMRI. It’s there that I realized it just wasn’t for me. The lab work and waiting three hours for incubations, goodness, that’s not my life. (Laughs)

Isn’t that where internships come in, to help assess career paths?

Precisely. I mean, it’s during the internships that I realized I wasn’t built for the job.I proceeded for another internship at UNEP, doing research work and that wasn’t too fulfilling either. The UN is a great environment to work in, most people enjoy it, but again, it wasn’t for me. The 8-5, sitting behind a desk, writing up reports, no. I didn’t enjoy it, at all.

Then comes DJ-ing…

(Laughs) Yes, I’m a House music DJ.I love it!

Where do you play?

I get asked to play at different places and gigs. I’ve played severally in clubs like Tree House and The Juniper Kitchen.

How did it all start?

Initially, I engaged in it just as a hobby and primarily because I love House music, but with time, offers started coming up and I agreed to them. It’s now pretty much an occupation.

Do you intend to make it a full-time gig?

Not really. I enjoy playing occasionally, to a crowd that’s engaged in the genre of music and is ecstatic to be there. But playing it full-time could potentially take the passion out of it.

Modelling, did you have an agent?

Yeah, I did. Actually, I signed up with two agencies. I’d get called from both sides. I modeled while at UoN. It was exciting to be able to earn while still studying.

Did they pay accordingly? Considering most talents cry of being conned by agencies…

No, the agents I had were straight forward business people. I still get paid for some of the ads that continue running.

Was it commercial or fashion modeling?

I was entirely into commercial modelling: billboards, posters & TV ads, like Safaricom. I could never do fashion, the catwalks and all, I don’t think I’m tall enough. Plus, heels are not exactly my best friend (Laughs).

The kindergarten, tell me about it…

Brainston Kindergarten, it’s in Thindigua, off Kiambu Road. We co-own it with some of my family members. My elder sisters and I are involved in the management of the institution.

Who runs the school on a daily basis?

We hire persons with the relevant qualifications and experience for that. The members of staff have to be qualified with the head teacher doing the day-to-day running of the school.

What’s the recruitment process like for prospective kids?

Oh, we go all out with the marketing. We put up banners, brochures, we have awebsite, a Facebook page…but from experience, what I’ve seen really works with kindergartens is word of mouth. That seems to work quite well…organically.

Are there challenges managing and running the school?

Yes, definitely, there’ll always be challenges. This is because people are never satisfied. They can never be fully satisfied. But it’s human nature and  part of the trade.

Does engaging in all these very different activities make you a Jack of All Trades and master of none?

No, I don’t think so. I enjoy working in these fields. I could be a master of some though. Like the planning of events, I’d really like to focus on that as much as possible. I’d like the Palooza to grow and have attendees from all corners of Nairobi.

Are you dating?

(Giggles) I am.

Who’s the guy?

(Giggles again) I could call him my best friend. We’ve been friends for almost a decade and dated quite a while. I think it was always just meant to be.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced while dating?

The main one for me would have to be adjusting to being part of a partnership. It’s not all about you anymore. All of a sudden you need to accommodate this new way of life, which isn’t something you were formerly necessarily used to.

What have you learnt about men?

Men are stubborn! (Laughs heartily) But on a serious note, I think they just need to be understood as much as women want to be understood. They also have their internal issues going on, so, they need a lot of patience.

Any mistakes you wish you never made?

I wish I never continued with Bio-Chemistry to be quite honest. I don’t really believe in books. If it was up to me, I would only go to uni, if it was to pursue something I really enjoyed and that would help me in life. Or to get the educational basics. But to-date, it’s the worst mistake I think I made.

What have you learnt in 2015?

Peace of mind is key. Engage in things you love and enjoy, this will help you weather the storms when they come. If it isn’t giving you fulfillment, find something that does.

And also, love is a good thing. (Laughs)

Would you like to elaborate?

(Laughs some more) Nope. We’ll leave it at that.

Any advice for those who are single?

Everything happens in its own time. Don’t push it. Don’t force it. Don’t go looking for love, let it find you, ‘cause you’ll end up making so many mistakes, regretting stuff, because you’re looking for something that isn’t even there. Let it find you.

Last words?

Put God first. And make the best of your life.

Yvonne Aol is a writer and freelance journalist. You can read more of her work here http://www.cottageaoll.com/