Nicole Murphy, former wife of comedy actor Eddie Murphy, has been in the country for the past week.
The former model and reality TV star discussed the reason for her visit to Kenya during a press conference with local media.
She revealed that she has long wanted to visit Kenya and decided to make the trip after the recent passing of her partner, Warren Braithwaite, who died of cancer earlier this year.
“I lost someone close to me. It made me realize life is too short to take things for granted. I am in a new chapter in my life, I am an empty nester and figured it’s time to take the world by storm,” she stated.
She was surprised to find that the Kenyan Embassy was located very close to her home in the United States, which sparked her curiosity and played a role in her decision to visit Kenya.
“I love travelling so I wanted to go to places I have never been to. I was walking around my neighborhood and the Kenyan Embassy is not far from where I live.
I was like ooh this might be somewhere I want to go to. I am excited and looking forward to this journey,” she stated.
She met with Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano at a lively reception ceremony on Tuesday at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi.
Having gained a clearer perspective of Kenya from her visit, the actress and former model vowed to elevate the Magical Kenya brand in the US ,and work towards changing the perception of the African continent.
“On television, they show a little boy or a little girl, no clothes on, a big belly. It’s like they are starving, flies all over her face and that is the image they are portraying to us in the state (US),” Ms Murphy said.
“You guys have a beautiful city, you have beautiful beaches, you have the animals and you have an economy that people don’t know about. This visit is extremely important and I will be educating them back home on Kenya and Africa,” she noted.
The 56-year-old film producer, who shares five children with Eddie Murphy, began her modeling career at 13 and has graced the covers of magazines such as Vogue and Elle. She also boasts over one million followers on Instagram among other social media platforms.
Even though Murphy has retired from both the runway and Hollywood, her fame remains undeniable, prompting the Kenyan government to eagerly embrace her private visit.
“It is a lifetime opportunity and her major visit here and we believe that her experience will serve as a testament of what Kenya is,” CS Ms Miano said.
