By Prudence Minayo
Neema Sulubu is a talented actress and a radio personality. She is a natural talent who has blended flawlessly with such great actors like Bridget Shighadi, Sanaipei Tande, Jackie Matubia and Sarah Hassan.
Acting is something she really enjoys doing and currently she has a role in the hit drama series Zora that airs on Citizen TV, everyday weekday at 7:30p.m.
Background and Education
The actress grew up in the coastal region of Kenya. Neema was a student at Ngala Memorial Secondary School in Watamu were she flourished in arts. She attended Mombasa Aviation College where she pursued a Diploma in journalism and media studies.
Career
Neema is a presenter working for Baraka FM, a radio station based in Mombasa. She started working at the station in July 2013.
Nearly a decade ago, a program named S.A.F.E Pwani was conceived. The aim of the program was to highlight with some of the social problems affecting the area. The issues included HIV/AIDS prevalence, extremisms, water and sanitation, sexual health and reproduction and peace building. A number of actors and actresses participated in the program by enacting dramas that aimed at creating awareness on the issues afflicting the community. Neema joined the program in 2012 as one of the actresses.
One of her biggest role came when Rashid Abdalla and Lulu Hassan started scouting for cast members for their program Aziza. The program took the audience through the life of a young girl whose dreams of becoming a musician were frowned upon by her parents. It had many twists and turns that glued the viewers on the program. Neema took part in the series as one of the cast members and played the role of Binti.
Zora
Sulubu would then make a comeback on Citizen TV by getting a role on Zora, another series produced by Rashid and Lulu which has been a hit among the Kenyan viewers. In the show, she plays the role of Neema, a very talkative but very naïve girl. She plays the role so effortlessly and looking at her on the screens many are tempted to think that is who she is in real life.
Awards
She has won a number of awards thanks to her acting prowess. She was the Best Actress in the 2008 Kenya National Drama Festivals held in Nakuru. A year earlier, she had scooped the 2007 Adjudicators Award for stage plays while she was in high school.
In 2018, Neema was once again feted after she was named the Best Actress for Kenya Coast Music Awards.
Family
The actress comes from a family of six sisters and a brother. Neema revealed she lost her father in 2020 who was aged 76 years. She shared the sad news with her fans while urging them to appreciate their families. Neema’s siblings are Mary Mapenzi, Johnson Kiponda, Lilian Sikukuu, Mercy Rehema, Ashley ASHA, Salome Nema and Esther Kaneno.
The actress talks fondly of his dad and the role he played in shaping who she is today. “Since I was in school my father kept encouraging me so much whenever i appeared before any group to present. This made me gain much courage and strength to soldier on, no matter how difficult it would turn to be,” she told thecoast.co.ke.
