By Prudence Minayo
Justina Syokau is a talented Kenyan gospel singer who has a number of hit songs under her name. One out of 10 Kenyans must have come across one of her songs while browsing through the Internet. The songbird released the hit song dubbed “Twendi Twendi” in 2020 that became a sensation among the young and old alike.
Her journey has, however, not been an easy one. Justina has faced a number of challenges and things have not always been easy for her.
Background
Justina was born in Machakos, Mua Hills ward. She was brought up in a Christian background as a staunch AIC member and she would never miss church. Growing up, she was taught to put God at the center of everything and prayer and Sunday school were a part of her life. Later, she moved to the Redeemed Gospel Church.
Marriage
The talented singer married the love of her life in a flamboyant church wedding in 2012 after a long courtship. The two met in church and after the man had persistently pursued her for a while, she gave in.
The wedding was followed by what you can call a dream honeymoon. However, the blissful marriage was short-lived and the loving husband changed into a stranger. They began living with the in-laws and the humiliation and abuse began.
“There were constant wrangles in our marriage, coupled by violence. Apart from constant beating, he often humiliated me infront of his family. He would disappear for days and leave me with no money for food. He always consulted his mother and followed her instructions. I had no voice in the family even though I was the wife,” she was quoted by The Standard.
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Wanting to preserve her image and having been brought up in a Christian background, she desired to persevere. Things went downhill fast after the birth of their first born. She gave birth via cesarean section and could not afford to do all the housework. A house help was brought from the village and she was asked to go away. However, she decided to stay and the husband began to openly have an affair with the house help. The house help would even look down on her and she was thrown out of the house with nothing.
The hit maker ended up living on the streets for a while before a good Samaritan gave her Ksh200 fare and she went back to her parents in Machakos.
Family
Family is supposed to be that one thing that will hold you together even when the rest of the world is against you. Unfortunately, Justina’s family was not ready to accept back their daughter who had been separated from her husband. They blamed her for the failed marriage. She decided to go to Nairobi where she was hosted by a friend for two months.
While staying with the friend, she went back to church, joined the praise and worship team and even got a job. She regained her self esteem.
Career
The musician began singing a while back as a praise and worship member in the church. She then composed a number of songs and would at times hawk her CDs in matatus.
“I regained my self esteem and started singing. I hawked my music CDs in matatus. Most people would sympathise with me and help me raise funds for my album,” she told TUKO .
Later, her mother visited her but died of a health related complication. The family blamed her and accused her of having sacrificed her mother in order to succeed in her music career.
The talented singer decided to leave all the pain of the past behind her. Currently, she is a motivational speaker who focuses on encouraging the young people. She advises those in an abusive marriage to leave.
At the beginning of 2020, she released a hit song dubbed “Twendi Twendi.” The song was well received and played in various places. She even got to perform it live on Churchill Show. It was a song whose message was that 2020 would be a good successful year.
At the beginning of 2021, she also released another one “twendi twendi wani” which was also talking about the blessings that lay ahead of the year. The song trended no.1 on YouTube in Kenya and amassed over 500,000 views. Her YouTube channel also has more than 40,000 subscribers.
Bragging She Cannot Date A Broke Man To Receiving Food Donations
In a video that has been shared multiple times, Syokau is heard castigating broke men. She goes on to say she cannot date a broke man since she has heavily invested in real estate and other venture. The singer had to eat humble pie and ask for financial help after she fell sick. Syokau told a youtuber that she sold all her household goods to remain afloat.
Stylish Rev Lucy Natasha came to her aid and donated foodstuff.
