Patricia Kihoro: Living it up

Patricia Wangechi Kihoro, 31, is a Kenyan singer, actress and radio personality who loves coffee, bacon, Kitenge fabrics and laughter. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • I host Afrocentral on Homeboyz Radio, my Sunday show which showcases urban and contemporary music by African artistes living in Africa and abroad.
  • I also perform my show, Life in the Single Lane which I wrote, directed, produced and act in every few months. I have been taking part in an improv (improvisational theatre) comedy show every two months with a bunch of my super talented friends.
  • Once in a while, I will emcee at events and do some work on social media.

31-year-old Patricia Wangechi Kihoro is a Kenyan singer, actress and radio personality who loves coffee, bacon, Kitenge fabrics and laughter. She rose to prominence after she participated in the third season of Tusker Project Fame, where she became one of the finalists.

She lets us in on her life and what she’s been up to of late

We are five in our family. Me, my mum, dad and my two younger brothers, 26 and 22 years old respectively.

I studied up until University where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences with a major in Psychology.

I’m currently working with The Temple Management Company, an organisation that at its core focuses on making the lives of African creatives easier.

I host Afrocentral on Homeboyz Radio, my Sunday show which showcases urban and contemporary music by African artistes living in Africa and abroad. I also perform my show, Life in the Single Lane which I wrote, directed, produced and act in every few months. I have been taking part in an improv (improvisational theatre) comedy show every two months with a bunch of my super talented friends. Once in a while, I will emcee at events and do some work on social media. I’ve been getting along with my life in the best way I can, and I have been very privileged to be doing all the things I enjoy doing.

I started singing as a child, back in lower primary school at around the age of eight, and I’ve been doing it to date. As for acting, well, as a child I would enjoy getting into character and would try being someone different every Sunday at church. I guess I just continued to find avenues to express myself in ways I love as I grew older.

I started my blog back in May of 2010 as an outlet, a place to share my thoughts and opinions on things. It’s always been a place where I went to share stuff I was interested in and express my thoughts. Over the last couple of years however, I have felt as though I was losing that sense of why I was doing it in the first place, and now I’m just taking the time to really figure out what I would like to continue sharing on that platform in the most genuine way.

EXCITING STUFF

When things get super stressful I’ll take a moment to breathe and pray. I usually just hang out with friends and family or find funny videos on YouTube to watch. That usually helps. 

My days are very different. There is really no set routine as life in the creative industry is so spontaneous and diverse in terms of daily experiences. Some days I’m on set shooting a television show or film, other days I’m home all day with no obligations, other days I’m at work with Temple, it depends on what’s going on at the time.

My favourite person at this very moment is… I’m sitting next to my friend Sharon and she has insisted I say Sharon Mundia Leteipan. She can be very threatening at times so, yeah, that’s my answer. To be honest though, she’s a really wonderful friend and I’m just so happy that she’ll be giving me a niece soon. But there are so many people in my life who I just can’t rank but love and appreciate so much.

A sense of gratitude... my family and my future kids, God willing drive me to wake up every morning and pursue my dream. I’m inspired by different people on different days, my friends, family, successful people and even random strangers on the internet.

I do enjoy my own company, quite a bit actually. When I’m by myself I’m probably watching something on television or reading a book. Or daydreaming. Or watching people at a restaurant. Or scrolling through the internet and my social media apps.

Last year, after a lot of frustration due to traffic, I sold my car and bought a scooter. Best decision I made. As a child, I was on bicycles a lot. I got my first proper bicycle at the age of four and I enjoyed cycling very much for most of my childhood. In 2007, I visited Rwanda and for the first time took a ride on a motorcycle taxi, which they call Motos, the Kenyan equivalent of boda bodas. I was hooked and after that I would take a lot of rides on them here despite having a car. I like it because it’s fun, the breeze excites me and I love knowing that traffic is not an issue.

I’ve had pretty exciting things happen in my life, last year I got to be in the cockpit of a plane for most of the duration of a flight from Lagos to Nairobi from takeoff to landing. But also having the opportunity to do my show, Life in the Single Lane, and to see tickets sell out all seven times so far. That’s a pretty exciting blessing.

A perfect date for me would be one where I laugh a lot. And the other person also laughs at my jokes. I’m not too particular about activities to be honest but I prefer to focus on how I feel with the person.

I love making creamy pasta dishes, and I’ve been enjoying whiskey lately.

My five year plan is to hopefully still be alive and my parting shot is this; you matter, and everything you have to offer has value so take pride in that. Be open to what life brings your way, and let every experience be a lesson for growth.