The notion that art is a reserve of weak students is quickly changing especially with the introduction of the competence based curriculum by the Kenyan government. 

Kenyans who are talented in sports and the arts are now making a decent living from their trade. 

In this article, WoK looks at the high schools the top ten Kenyan female comedians attended. 

Awinja-Kegoye High School in Western, Kenya

Nothing lifts a gloomy mood like a good laugh. In the midst of an economic crisis, nothing is more calming than watching Awinja, real name Jacky Vike, funny videos on YouTube and social media. The comedian attended Kegoye High School in Western Kenya. 

Mammito-Silanga Mixed Secondary School

She ranks among the best Comeddiene in Kenya. Eunice Wanjiru Njoki, popularly known as Mammito, joined Gatero Girls High School in Nyahururu in 2008. She left the institution when she was in Form Three to join Silanga Mixed Secondary School, Kibera where she sat her final KCSE examination in 2011.

Cartoon Comedian-Einstein Day School

The funnywoman became a hit with her ‘inaniaffect’ line. She has millions of views on her YouTube channel as well as her social media accounts. Vanessa Akinyi, known to many as simply Cartoon Comedian, was a student at Kiambu High School before joining Einstein Day School where she sat for her final KCSE exams. 

Naomi Kuria-Kiangonyi Girls High School in Kangema

Another big time comedian. Her rise to the top was not an easy one. Brought in poverty, she wanted to change the story of her family and comedy proved the way out of her past. Naomi Kuria attended Kiangonyi Girls High School in Kangema. 

Zeddy Zainabu-St. Teresa’s Girls Secondary School 

This list will be incomplete without mentioning Zeddy Zainabu. She was a regular on Churchil Show and impressed while at it. The comedian attended St. Teresa’s Girls Secondary School in Mombasa.

On Sunday, June 18, she took to her Instagram and penned a heartwarming message to remember her late dad.

Having passed away years ago, Jacky, in her message, wished that her dad could be around to witness her success.

In her message, the mother of one recalled how much her late father was dedicated to provide for their family.

Jacky noted that although her father had a full time job, he would engage in side hustles to provide for their family due to delayed payments.

“He worked as a County Askari and they would go months without pay but he would do side hustles such as working as a cobbler and working in constructions sites,” she wrote.

The actress also spoke on her dad’s love for traditional brews, especially after a long day at work.

“…he would later go to construction sites or alcohol dens in Shauri Moyo for a tin of traditional brew. Wish he was here now so that I could but him a nice crate of Tusker. He would have been happy

“I will never forget when one of those alcohol trucks crashed near Kije and we went to pick up bottles of alcohol. We later started flaunting them to neighborhood kids “My dad has picked up more bottles than yours!” said Awinja.

Rise to fame

Over the years, Jacky has rose to become one of the most sought after content creators in Kenya, with giant brands scrambling to have her advertise for them.

For instance in 2022, she worked with among other multimillion companies East Africa Breweries, Exe Unga, Naivas Supermarket among others.

She was among the celebrities who were sponsored by Odibets for the Qatar FIFA World Cup.

Dressed in her signature pink dress and with a kamisi overlapping beyond the hem of the dress, she could be seen on the stands shooting comic videos.

Jacky came into the limelight when she bagged a role in the Papa Shirandula television series.

The late Charles Bukeko, Papa Shirandula, awarded her with the opportunity after she impressed in auditions. This is what turned out to be her breakthrough in the competitive entertainment sector.

After the end of Papa Shirandula show, the actress began recording her skits and posting them online just for self satisfaction.

For the better part of 2022, she teamed up with fellow comedian, Mammito, to produce rib cracking skits which they shared on their respective social media pages.

Awinja and Mammito started  working together in March, their first character was two ladies from the village, popularly known by the moniker, vienyeji.

The two wore yellow sheer matching dresses, artificial braided wigs and some heels which is popular with women from upcountry.

The two content creators also spoke with deep Luhya accents to give a perfect depiction of a woman from the village.

With this character, they produced numerous skits which were shared on both their social media platforms.

A few months after introducing their first character, the two later introduced a new character which now depicted ‘buddies’ from the ghetto.

This character had the duo rock a tomboyish look which included a hat with reggae colours, a football jersey or an oversized t-shirt, a pair of skin tights and boots.

The duo also produced songs which were inspired by current happenings in the country.

For instance, months after the Nairobi Express Way was officially opened to the public, flowers which were planted on its pillars along Mombasa Road dried up.

This sparked mixed reactions from Kenyans across social media who hit out at the government over failure to maintain the flowers.

The duo took advantage of the same and teamed up with content creator Terence Creative to produce a song dubbed, Maua ya Expressway.

When COVID-19 struck, local content creators went digital as most of them appeared on shows that aired on mainstream media.

A classic example for this is actress Jacky Vike, alias Awinja and Eunice Wanjiru, aka Mammito who appeared on Papa Shirandula that aired on Citizen TV and on TV47’s Churchill Show respectively.

During the COVID-19 period, Papa Shirandula halted production of the drama series due to precautionary measures prohibiting public gatherings.

At the same time, Laugh Industry also stopped doing Churchill Show live recordings due to the aforementioned precautions among others such as the 7 pm and 10 pm curfews.

Transition to digital

Following the inconveniences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Awinja and Mammito started doing skits which they shared on their Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook pages.

At first, the duo did their skits separately but they later teamed up and started producing skits together.

Characters

Awinja and Mammito started  working together in March, their first character was two ladies from the village, popularly known by the moniker, vienyeji.

The two wore yellow sheer matching dresses, artificial braided wigs and some heels which is popular with women from upcountry.

The two content creators also spoke with deep Luhya accents to give a perfect depiction of a woman from the village.

With this character, they produced numerous skits which were shared on both their social media platforms.

A few months after introducing their first character, the two later introduced a new character which now depicted ‘baddies’ from the ghetto.

This character had the duo rock a tomboyish look which included a hat with reggae colours, a football jersey or an oversized t-shirt, a pair of skin tights and boots.

Awinja and Mamitto also chewed khat and carried around a red carrier bag which had some of it inside, just how girls from the ghetto roll.

The duo also produced songs which were inspired by current happenings in the country.

For instance, months after the Nairobi Express Way was officially opened to the public, flowers which were planted on its pillars along Mombasa Road dried up.

This sparked mixed reactions from Kenyans across social media who hit out at the government over failure to maintain the flowers.

The duo took advantage of the same and teamed up with content creator Terence Creative to produce a song dubbed, Maua ya Expressway.

The 5-minute song published on Terence’s YouTube channel has so far garnered over 550,000 views and over 3,000 comments.

Awinja and Mammito have worked with other comedian and actresses including Shix Kapienga, Sandra Dacha, Nasra and Njugush among others.

From the very first time he showed up on stage, he managed to capture the attention of so many Kenyans. Today, he has successfully established himself in the industry and draws quite a huge following.

Age

The talented star was born on 16th November 1992 and raised in Kariobangi, Kasarani constituency, Nairobi county. He will turn 32 this year in November.

Education

Eddie Butita is a notable alumni of Butere Boys High School, Kakamega, Western Kenya. He then proceeded to university and pursued graphics design.

Comedy

The popular personality mastered his comedy and entertainment skills while still in high school. He has since appeared in notable Kenyan comedy shows like:

• Night of a thousand laughs
• Kids Festival
• Kenya Kona Comedy
• Comedy Night
• Laugh Festival
• The Hot Seat
• Kenya’s biggest laugh
• Crazy Monday Comedy Night
• Nescafe Red Sensation Party
• Churchill raw
• Churchill Show

The celebrated comedian’s fame was sealed when he first appeared in the Churchill show in 2010. Despite being his first time on the show, he did such an amazing job that the crowd couldn’t help but fall in love with him.

His comedy style involves parodying the ghetto lifestyle in Kenya and many people, especially those in ghetto, can easily relate to his comedy. 

Butita also featured on “The Trend” show in Nation Television (NTV). He appeared as a guest on the weekly show to provide comic relief. 

Company

Growth is expected in life as one shouldn’t be stuck in the same place year in and year out just as demonstrated by Edwin. 

He went from on stage comedy performances to establishing his own company “Stage Presence Media.” Stage Presence Media limited is a diverse multi media company with expertise in entertainment, PR, content creation, events and marketing. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the company.

Relationship

Most expect that after success then the next step is having romantic attachments. The CEO is not married to anyone neither has he come out to clearly state he is in any relationship.

However, for a very long time there have been rumors of an ongoing romance between him and fellow Churchill Show comedian, Mammito. The two have always shared photos of each other and sometimes showed up for events together. When asked about his relationship with Mammito, Butita said she was like a sister. 

Song

The multi talented star loved music while in high school, a love that probably still exists. Partnering with DJ Shiti and King Kaka, they released a number called “Kidesign.”

The magic Enga production sees Eddie as a big shot entertainer living it up in the club. The video is of very good quality. The rack doesn’t speak of much but is perfect for a night out with friends.