“Playing multiple characters meant paying attention to even the smallest details—costumes, posture, walking style. It made all the difference,” says Nyokabi Macharia. “Being part of a production so relevant to the times was incredible. When we performed earlier in the year during the protests, it felt like we were contributing to history. The energy from the audience was unlike anything I’ve experienced.”
Nyokabi’s career reflects not only her immense talent but also her resilience in navigating the systemic challenges that Kenyan actors face. In her 2022 Kalasha Award acceptance speech, she called for better pay, improved working conditions, and the right to royalties. Now, with the Kenya Actors Guild under new leadership, she remains hopeful.
“I was shocked when I received my first royalties check for A Grand Little Lie,” she recalls. “And I got medical insurance while working on Selina with Multan Productions. That’s when I realized—our demands aren’t unreasonable. My deepest hope is that the term msanii will one day carry the dignity it deserves.”
Nyokabi’s methodical approach to her craft continues to evolve. While deep character research and backstory exploration remain at the heart of her process, she’s embraced physicality as an essential layer. “I’ve learned to relax into my characters. Younger Nyokabi overthought everything. I didn’t know how to balance research with embodiment,” she reflects. “Now, I focus on how a character talks, moves, and owns space—to fully become them.”
Her role in Sketchy Africans was no different. A serendipitous encounter with a female Uber driver named Kabaya—who mirrored her character Miriam—offered real-life inspiration. “She was the living, breathing version of Miriam. That interaction gave me so many layers to bring into the role.”
Though Nyokabi has roots in drama, she’s increasingly finding her comedic rhythm through roles in Ma’Empress, Sketchy Africans, and A Grand Little Lie. Still, making that shift wasn’t easy. “I struggled with comedy at first because I was trying too hard to be funny,” she admits. “The director had to remind me: the humour is in the situation, not in the performance. Once I relaxed, everything clicked.”
What unites all her roles—comic or serious—is her commitment to nuance. She’s long felt frustrated by the industry’s tendency to write lead characters as either constantly distressed or impossibly flawless. So who carries the responsibility for creating layered, flawed, deeply human characters?
Nyokabi believes it’s a collaborative effort. “I’m not afraid to ask ‘why?’ We all need to interrogate the work—writers, directors, actors. They say the director sees the forest and the actor sees the tree. My job is to care for my tree, because I know it best.”
Beyond the screen, Nyokabi has made a powerful mark on stage. In Too Early for Birds: Tom Mboya, she played multiple roles in an immersive, three-hour production described by Sinema Focus’ Tonny Ogwa as one that “transcends the physical and auditory.” In a single month, she jumped from that demanding theatre piece to playing a cash-strapped entrepreneur in the comedy Sketchy Africans—a testament to her remarkable versatility.
From Ma’Empress to County 49 and Country Queen, to films like Chaguo and A Grand Little Lie, Nyokabi has proven she can shift effortlessly between drama and comedy. In 2025, she’ll mark ten years in the craft with Nyokabi at 10—a three-part showcase featuring a one-woman play, a documentary, and a tour.
“It’s emotional,” she says. “This showcase is a look back at ten years of sweet memories, painful lessons, and hard truths. I’ve made mistakes, hurt people even when I didn’t mean to—and I have to face that. But it’s also a celebration. I get to work with people I love and respect. That makes it joyous. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Nyokabi’s accolades include the 2022 Kalasha Award for Best Actress for Chaguo—her first film lead. As her craft and perspective deepen, so does her self-awareness. “As I get older, I realise I’m just a different version of the same person,” she muses.
Her latest role in Sketchy Africans encapsulates her evolution. As Miriam, a meticulous and independent woman scheming with a group of misfits to claim her inheritance, Nyokabi took a bold step—literally shaving her head. “Going bald had always been in the back of my mind,” she says. “When I suggested it, the director saw the vision. He said, ‘Miriam is bold—what better way to express that?’”
The transformation became more than physical. “Shaving my head exposed the bumps and imperfections. At first, I was self-conscious. But then I realised—that’s Miriam. A woman who seems put-together but is slowly unraveling. It was a metaphor, and it changed how I approached the role.”
Ten years into her journey, Nyokabi Macharia continues to redefine what it means to be an actor in Kenya—brave, curious, ever-evolving. And as Nyokabi at 10 approaches, one thing is clear: this is only the beginning.