A number of celebrities in Kenya have not always had the flamboyant and lavish life. Some worked as house helps before getting to the top.
It took their hard work and determination to reach where they are today. Some had to do the jobs to pay their school fees after dropping out of school.
Below are 5 celebrities who worked as house helps but are currently eating life with a big spoon.
Nyota Ndogo
Nyota Ndogo, whose real name is Mwanaisha Abdalla is a Kenyan artist and entrepreneur based at the Coast. She is popular for her songs such as watu na viatu, Nibebe among others.
The mother of two worked as a house help for two years before finding her big break through the Watu na viatu song. The job helped her save money to record her songs. She had witten 15 songs but did not have money to cater for the recording.
In 2018, she shared with her fans how it had been difficult for her to land the job as she had knocked so many doors without success.
“Mwenzenu nimeangalia hii picha nimeanza kulia jamani nakumbuka nilipowasili kwa hii nyumba nikaambiwa mimi nimdogo siwezi kufanya kazi niliomba nipewe japo one week waniangalie kama naweza.yani nilikua nimezunguka wiki nzima town yote kwa miguu kugonga milango kuomba kazi za nyumbani at least hawa waliniruhusu kunipa chance…..muandastandi why sivukigi mipaka yakukufuru cause najua MUNGU yupo na ananiona,” she said while sharing her photo with the child that she used to take care of.
Betty Bayo
The gospel musician was once forced to drop out of high school while in form two for two years due to lack of school fees.
It was then that she worked as househelp before she resumed her studies.
“My first employer who I served for a year (2006) paid me Sh70 per day for all the house chores. I felt this was little and decided to go mobile – still as a house help where I would be hired by anybody in need of my services for Sh100 per day,” she said.
Betty was later married to her ex-husband pastor Victor Kanyari and together they have two children. Some years back, the two hit the airwaves after Kanyari was exposed of conning Kenyans money while faking miracles.
Gloria Muliro
Life for the Matokeo hitmaker became difficult when she lost her mother at a young age. She completed her form four at St. Theresa girls Nairobi in 2001 but she could be not handed her certificate because of the huge fee arrears.
“I got a job as a house help which I did for two years in the Eastlands of Nairobi. I worked with a lot of commitment trusting in the Lord and sure enough God blessed me. I raised enough money, cleared my debt in school and was issued with my certificates that changed my destiny altogether,” she said in a previous interview.
She later got enrolled in a Teachers College for a two year teaching course. Her life changed when she released her song Mwami Aletsa.
Akothee
The president of single mothers is now an entrepreneur and one of Kenya’s top musician. The mother of five served as a house help in her in-laws home. She had eloped with her high school lover just when she was in form two.
She would stay at the home to perform duties and chores as her husband went to school. She got her first child at the age of 14. After the 7 years, her marriage was troubled and she was forced to leave to fend for herself, leaving behind her three girls. She became a fishmonger and later returned to school to complete her studies. She sat her KCSE in 2004 and scored a C+.
She began her music career in 2008.
Willy Paul
Willy Paul came into the limelight about decade ago after releasing his Sitolia song featuring Gloria Muliro.
He is the lastborn in a family of three. His mother was a hairdresser and father a carpenter. Life became difficult when his father passed on in 2010. He also dropped out of school to do menial jobs. He worked as a houseboy to fend for himself after going separate ways with his mother since they did not have a place to call home while in Mathare.
He was turned into a houseboy by someone who offered to help him. Willy Paul later enrolled for his KCSE exams in 2013.
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