For over three decades, Lucy Wangui played the no-nonsense judge in the long running courtroom comedy-drama Vioja Mahakamani. Her talent and passion reverberated through the screen, earning her a Head of State Commendation in 2009 in addition to numerous acting awards for her brilliant and consistent performance.
Every week, the country is served a hefty dose of rib-cracking humour on the television sitcom Vioja Mahakamani – a long running local courtroom drama. The programme, which airs on the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), features a diverse and colourful cast. It was here that Kenyans watched Lucy Wangui act for more than three decades.
Until 2015, Wangui played the role of a no-nonsense judge. In this role she was the voice of reason and the ultimate counsel. Viewers will remember her inscrutable expression as she sat on the bench, listening keenly and taking notes. She pulled off her role so well that over the years, it became more and more difficult for fans of the show to separate Wangui from her on-screen character.
But what lies behind that stern television exterior? Wangui has been described by her colleagues as being diligent and passionate about her work. Not surprisingly, her persistence has earned her several accolades, the most prestigious being the Head of State Commendation she was awarded in 2009 in celebration of her outstanding performance on television.
In the same year, she was nominated for the Best Actress in a Television Series award at the Kalasha Film & Television Awards. Vioja Mahakamani was also nominated for two awards: Best Comedy Programme and the Mfalme (Lifetime Achievement) Award. Wangui has also received a Best Comedian award from The Churchill Show.
“Let me start by clarifying that I am not a judge or a magistrate, and neither am I a lawyer,” she says. In contrast to the no-nonsense persona she portrays on television, Wangui is cheerful and approachable.
Now in her sixties, the lines on Wangui’s face are evidence of a long and fruitful life. Born second in a family of seven children, Wangui is one among four surviving siblings. When they were little, their parents moved the family from Murang’a to Nairobi long before Kenya’s independence in 1963.
They moved into a single room in Kariokor, an estate which was initially built to shelter horses. Later, her father moved them to a bigger house in Ziwani where the family settled permanently.
Wangui’s father, Kanogo Gichomo, owned several shops along Nairobi’s River Road. His business earned him enough to sustain his family and to provide basic education for his children. Her mother, Jane Nyambura, was also a businessperson who sold her wares in Kariokor market and also doubled up as an actress, earning extra money by appearing in local television advertisements.
It was through her mother’s flourishing career that Wangui would discover her own acting talent. “My mother laid the foundation for my acting career,” she says. “I used to see how she was in real life and how she acted on the television adverts,” she says, adding that she found it so fascinating that she wanted in. “That’s how I decided to become an actress, too.”
However, her acting dream would remain just that until she completed her education. She attended Saint Brigid Primary School and then sat for her ‘O’ levels at the Shree Cutchi Gujarati Hindu Union School in Parklands. While in school, Wangui was an active participant in school drama activities.
Her golden opportunity came knocking as she was attending Pansom’s Business College, which was situated along Biashara Street, pursuing a secretarial, copy typing and telephone operations course.
The year was 1975 and a Producer at the State broadcaster KBC, known as the Voice of Kenya (VoK) in those days, was looking for actors for a new production. The show, Jamii ya Mzee Pembe (The Family of Mr Pembe), was a drama series about the daily lives of Mzee Pembe and his family. Wangui’s mother got wind of the opportunity and told her daughter to give it a try. Behind her father’s back, Wangui went for the auditions and was chosen to play one of Mzee Pembe’s daughters.
I have absolutely no regrets about the way my life has turned out. I am living my dream and I have everything I have ever wished for
This was the defining moment of Wangui’s life. “As soon as I got my first acting role, I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she says.
Unfortunately she met stiff opposition from her father. He was so against the idea that it created a huge rift between them. Like most fathers, he wanted his daughter to settle into a ‘sensible’ career.
To steer her onto the right path, he got her a job at Elliott’s Kenya Limited, a bread-baking company. She worked there for two years, performing secretarial and administrative duties. “I hated it. I just didn’t fit into that job. I had the skills and the relevant training, but it’s not where I wanted to be,” she says.
Wangui’s heart was in acting. So she decided to juggle both jobs, one as a secretary at Elliott’s and the other as an actress at VoK. This went on for a while until the fatigue and inconvenience of working two demanding jobs caught up with her.
Eventually she had to make a decision between the two. She chose acting. “When I told my father that I had quit the secretarial job, he was furious. We had a major altercation, after which I left home to start life on my own,” she recalls.
That was one of the most difficult times of her life, but her mother’s support kept her going. “My mother would tell me to ignore my father’s ranting and focus on building my career,” she says.
Away from her father’s controlling influence, she embraced the performing arts and dedicated her time to developing her TV role and writing music. She realised quickly that recording music was too expensive, so she re-directed all her energy to acting.
By this time, Vioja Mahakamani was already on air. As fate would have it, the actress playing the role of magistrate, the late Anne Wanjugu, was poached by an international production house. VoK offered Wangui the job. That was the beginning of Wangui’s decades-long vibrant journey as the judge on Vioja Mahakamani. It would also mark the turning point in her sour relationship with her father.
When she first appeared on air as a judge, she instantly became the darling of the viewers, despite the fact that it was a completely new role for her. “I hadn’t even familiarised myself with the law,” she says.
Her stellar performance was so impressive that fans began to praise her father for his daughter’s excellence. “This popularity is what changed my father’s mind, and eventually we became very close friends because he saw that my dream career was not just a momentary fad.”
Despite early success, her journey has had its ups and downs. “I have had many highs in my career as an actress, and these are what keep me going,” she says. Her unique talent has opened opportunities for Wangui to take part in several local productions besides Vioja Mahakamani including Mzima Duni, Chipukizi, Kivunja Mbavu, Darubini and Vitimbi.
She has also had roles in local films such as The Mugumo Tree and The Captain of Nakara (2012), Savage Harvest, Coast for Fire, The Baisikol (1997), Saikati II (1992) and The Flame Trees of Thika (1981). More recently, she has had roles in Siri and Kona, both soap operas. The toughest times in Wangui’s life have provided the most important life lessons. “I have stumbled, sometimes I have fallen, but these are the experiences which have made me who I am today,” she says.
Her biggest challenge was persisting in acting when all her peers were pursuing ‘serious’ careers. She was rejected by those closest to her. It was because of her choice of career that her marriage failed.
Her husband, just like her father, strongly disapproved of it despite the fact that when she met him, she was already an actress. They had one daughter together named Khadija Ali.
Juggling between a young family and a demanding career was tricky. She would often find herself spending more time at work than with her family, which irked her husband. “My husband was tough on this matter because he wanted me to be a housewife,” she says. “But I had to follow my dream because it is what I live for, and so we divorced.”
After the divorce she was forced to survive on an extremely low income because in those days, acting did not pay as much as it does today. “For a full production in those days, we would be paid anything from Ksh20 to Ksh60, which was not much after deducting expenses. I also had a child to support.”
Another low in her career occurred when there was a shake-up at Vitimbi, another sitcom she was starring in. “We got a new producer who wanted us all out, including the veteran actors who had actually developed the idea.” The cast was saved after a public outcry.
Today, Wangui says that the biggest challenge for the entertainment industry as a whole is indifference from government. “The government has forgotten our presence,” she says. “There is very little recognition of the efforts of the founders of the industry; we felt left out of the ‘Kenya at 50’ celebrations.”
She acknowledges that President Moi made some effort by recognising their work and awarding them medals, even employing some of them in the government.
Subsequent governments have not been that generous. “I would rather be recognised for my efforts when I am alive than to be eulogised by the President when I’m dead!”
Wangui has hope in President Uhuru Kenyatta, who appears to have shown an interest in the performing arts, particularly comedy. “I hope he will remember us,” she says.
With the support of the State, Wangui intends to establish a comedy academy to nurture upcoming talent both locally and regionally. She says that the time has come for her to give back to society.
In her estimation, comedy in Kenya has not found its character.
“That is why our humour is based on ethnic stereotypes,” she explains. “I want to give back through my comedy academy. I intend to train and nurture young comedians and artists who are interested in developing their careers.”
She is uniquely qualified for this role as she understands the industry and appreciates that real comedy is born of creativity and a steady supply of fresh content.
From her acting career, she has been able to build two homes, purchase cars for herself and her children, educate them in good schools and invest.
She has, however turned down lucrative offers from competing TV stations, saying that KBC was her cornerstone. “Money was important, but for me it was more than just cash. KBC moulded me, taught me and disciplined me,” she says.
Her daughter Khadija is a successful beautician who studied in the United Kingdom. She has a family of her own, and Wangui is a doting grandmother to her children.
Besides Khadija, the actress also has two sons, her sister’s children, whom she adopted when her sister passed on. They are John Maina, who is a pilot in training, and Michael Mbogo, a student at university.
If she could do it all again, Wangui says she would not change a thing.
“I have absolutely no regrets about the way my life has turned out. I am living my dream and I have everything I have ever wished for.”
Words of Wisdom
- ‘Trust in God, depend on faithful friends and speak positive affirmations.”
- “Take time and cultivate energy to accomplish what you want.”
- “Choose the right friends.”
- “Be patient, ignore what people think and be yourself.”
- “Be quick to forgive, don’t hold grudges.”
- “Read the Bible.”
- “Read good books and articles.”