Kenyan celebrities who made huge strides in 2022

Indeed, 2022 might not have been the best year for some of us. Some people have had their fair share of ups and downs. Nevertheless, we have witnessed several celebrities who have made significant strides, and today, we highlight them in no particular order;

Felix Odiwour alias Jalas

Former Media personality Felix Odiwuor alias Jalang'o successfully transitioned into politics this year. A first-time politician, Jalas, as he is popularly known, was declared the winner of the Lang'ata Parliamentary seat, garnering over 35,000 votes. Jalang'o, once a hawker, confessed that he never thought he would become a legislature one day.

Otile Brown

28-year-old Jacob Obunga aka Otile Brown, made it to the history books this year after becoming the first Kenyan artiste to clock 1 million subscribers on YouTube. According to the YouTube channel, which now has over 1.25 million subscribers, the Dusuma hitmaker joined the platform in 2016. Last year, two of his songs i.e, Dusuma and Chaguo la Moyo, became the most-watched YouTube music videos in the country. The Dusuma official lyrics video garnered over 26 million views on YouTube in 10 months, while Chaguo la Moyo racked up over 25 million views just three years after it was uploaded.

Nelly Cheboi

Arguably now a celebrity, Nelly Choboi has recently been in the global limelight. The founder of TechLit Africa, Ms Cheboi, is this year's recipient of the coveted CNN's Hero of the Year award. She was one of 10 nominated in November to compete for the CNN Hero of 2022 award for creating computer labs for schoolchildren. Cheboi, also named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in April, was chosen to present her journey on resilience at the United Nations (UN) in October. She attributes her success to her mother, who endured hardships to ensure her children were educated despite poverty.

Ferdinand Omanyala

26-year-old Omanyala is not a stranger to sports lovers. The sprinter, who specializes in the 100m and 200m events, is currently the African record holder and 8th fastest man of all time in the 100 metres after clocking a time of 9.77 on 18 September 2021 in Nairobi. He became people's favorite this year after winning Kenya's first gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth games in Birmingham, becoming the first Kenyan to win a gold medal in the 100-metre race.

Eliud Kipchoge

The long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized in the 5000-metre distance race has indeed proven that our thoughts only limit us. This year in September, the 38-year-old bet his world record at the 2022 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:09, just 30 seconds shy of his 2018 world record. As a result, he is now widely considered the world's greatest marathoner.

Sauti Sol

In September this year, the boy band formed by vocalists Bien-Aime Baraza, Willis Chimano, Savara Mudigi and guitarist Polycarp Otieno, could not hold their joy after becoming the first ever persons to name a whole gorilla family at the 18th edition of Kwita Izina, a Rwandan ceremony for naming baby gorillas. Based on their sentiments across social media, this was a privilege that had never been accorded to anyone. They go down in the history books for obtaining such an honor in a foreign country.

Femi One

In the just concluded AFRIMMA awards ceremony held in Dallas, Texas, in November 2022, Femi One was crowned the best female rapper. Born Wanjiku Kimani, Femi put Kenya on the map after becoming the first East African Female rapper to take the title home. In her acceptance post on social media, Femi took the opportunity to encourage upcoming artistes, urging them to remain consistent in the craft as it will eventually pay off.