Meet Kenyan Comedian from Munich

You probably know her and have watched her video, but most don’t know she actually lives in Munich. MU recently got to talk to her and she shared a bit about herself.

Janet Kioko, or Syokimanga as she referred herself in the video that went viral, is a freelance broadcaster, photographer, journalist and motivation speaker living in Munich. She has been in Germany for the last 8 years, where she’s come to horn her skills and basically find her passion.

Being funny comes easily to Janet, as she shares that she had worked for KBC back in the day as a intern and even featured on Vitimbi and Je Huu ni Ungwana? But why Germany? ” I needed time to get to know myself”, she says with a smile in her voice.

But why would she end up studying audiovisual broadcasting in Germany and not nursing or something kawaida? “Media is my passion. I had started with it in Kenya, and when I decided to study here, some friends did advice me to pick nursing or something that would get me a job, but that was my passion and I went after it.”

On her overnight success, she confessed that it actually hadn’t been overnight. “I graduated in 2013 and have been working on my portfolio and the Janet Kioko brand since then. I shared several videos but none was as popular as the Syokimanga one.”

“Syokimanga was not planned,” she says when I ask how Syokimanga came about. “I created the video as a joke and shared it with friends. Most of them liked it, but before I shared it, I prayed about it first. I was quite shocked when the next morning I found the video had more hits than all my previous videos combined”.

“It has been God’s answer to my prayer”, she says when I mention her new found fame and the invitations she’s been receiving to #theTrend with Larry Madowo and several newspapers to share her story.

What should we expect from Janet Kioko and Syokimanga? “I’m still building Janet Kioko as a brand, and Syokimanga is part of that brand. Expect more videos, more stories and photography.”

In addition to her broadcasting activities, Janet also takes time to mentor and motivate young girls in her area. Her main goal is to use her company to tell more stories and use her talent to encourage more people to believe in themselves.

On asking for last words to her fans, “You can become anything you want to become, it all depends on your choices. Celebrate yourself. Don’t expect an applause from others, instead applaud yourself. Don’t give up on yourself and don’t give up on God.”

If you’re interested in following up on her activities, you can check out her blog or her Youtube Channel.

Below is her interview on the Trend with Larry Madowo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSdIRCtQoDs