Gloria Nyaboke Moraa is an actress famed for her roles on Citizen TV drama series, Tahidi High and Victor Naman comedy.
The 34-year-old also hit headlines in 2021 due to her relationship with the late former Rugby 7s coach, Benjamin Ayimba whom they share two children together.
By the time of Ayimba’s death, the two were embroiled in a court battle after she sued him for neglect of his children.
Other than the controversial moments, Moraa has been making notable progress in her acting career that spans over a decade.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background
In a past interview with Buzz Central, Morra disclosed that she was born and raised in Kibra, Nairobi County.
The mother of four stated that they lived in the slummy neighborhood for a while before moving to Utawala.
“I went to Olympic Primary School and Larry Asego was my teacher but we moved to Utawala when I was in Form 2 and that is where we live up to now,” she said.
She attended Olympic Primary School for her primary school education and proceeded to Trikha Girls Secondary School in Thika.
Career
Moraa’s acting and comedy career was nurtured by her late dad with friends and family urging her to give it a try.
Before venturing into online comedy, she was highly featured in local high-profile TV shows.
She has played a role on among others Love 101, Makutano Junction, Tabasamu, Tahidi High, Jastorina and Wingu la Moto.
Moraa has also appeared on Keru, Kina, La Msingi and Mchungaji.
In an interview with Standard, she explained that she opted to concentrate on online comedy because it is consistent and sustainable compared.
She also stated that streaming platforms such as YouTube pays well.
“I can say without a doubt that YouTube pays really well especially if you have many followers and subscribers. However, it requires consistency and hard work. If you are an actor, you need resiliency and determination to earn well from your online content,” she noted.
Early marriage
Moraa previously stated that she was in a relationship by the time she sat for her KCSE exams, and got married immediately after completing high school.
“We started dating in high school but he was working at the time. When leaving high school on the last day I had planned on living my school box behind as I had planned on going to get married
“My plan did not go as planned as I saw my sister waiting for me so I went back and wore my uniform. Immediately we reached home I changed and went to my boyfriend’s place, I disappeared and got married around 2003/2004,” she said.
She later broke up with her husband over irreconcilable issues and walked out of the relationship with two children.
“We both had our mistakes but the industry also started giving him insecurities. Sh*t happens but we are co-parenting our two kids, he is a very wonderful husband,” she stated.
Benjamin Ayimba
In previous interview, Moraa disclosed that she met Ayimba at a private party in Kileleshwa just after breaking up with her husband.
The encounter happened in 2012.
“My friend and her husband were going to the party and they told me to accompany them. When we got there, my friends hubby bought me a bottle of alcohol and I was drinking while crying but after a while I started mingling with people,” she recalled.
She stated that she noticed how Ayimba was staring at her and after her friends left, she approached Ayimba and offered to share her drink with him.
“…I realised who he was. He went to the same school with my brother and he would come to our home but I was still a baby. We bonded and he offered to take me to reggae because I told him I like it
“We left the party and went to Nairobi West. At 6:30 am we shared a cab, I dropped him home before the taxi dropped me at my place,” she said.
It took them two months to get into a relationship.
Moraa noted that although she learnt about Ayimba’s other wife, she decided to stay after be assured her of his love.
“Sometimes I would tell him I was leaving but he said there was nowhere I was going. His wife was there and I was there too, so I stayed
“He made me happy, he brought my sanity and confidence because I used to drink a lot to deal with my ex-husband,” she said.
The two have two sons; Benjamin Otieno and Hawi Ayimba.
Moraa said they broke up in 2018 when Ayimba moved on with his new girlfriend, a time when they were both broke.
During his burial in Kisumu on June 11, 2021, drama ensued after Moraa and her two sons were reportedly kicked out of the ceremony.
According to actress Sandra Dacha who is close with Moraa, Ayimba’s sisters reportedly worked with police officers in cohorts to bar the actress from burying her baby daddy.
“Their only mistake was to come burry their father. The way they’ve been treated my God! I don’t care how I have been treated but I care how they treated these young superstars,” Dacha wrote.
Ayimba succumbed to cerebral malaria.
Moraa, however, says that she is slowly coming to terms with his demise, and their kids are aware of their father’s death.
“It was quite stressful, so much was going on from bloggers to everyone talking. The kids know their dad died, but the youngest one still doesn’t know much. Truth is, you don’t just wake up and heal from death. You learn to live with it,” she said.
In August 2022, she also disclosed that she is in a relationship.
“Yes, I am seeing someone, so I am not looking for love because I have it. He plans to settle down (with me) but to be honest I am still thinking about it,” Moraa said.
