ZEDDY: Churchill Show's newest act

BUZZ: People always confuse you to be a girl from the Coast

Really? I have lived in several places and Coast is none of them. I was born in Majengo, Nairobi, then I spent some time in Olkalou then my family moved back to the city in Majengo.

How did you discover that you can make people laugh?

From a very young age. When I was at Githunguri Primary School I realised that during break time when I was hanging out with my friends, they laughed at almost every sentence I spoke.

With time, some started following me around asking me to crack a joke and so I felt that I kind of had it in me but it was never serious. But I guess being comical runs in my family because my grandmother was also very funny.

You just suddenly appeared on Churchill Show after Teacher Wanjiku left and took over as the top female act in the show.

Before joining the show, I worked for EPZ for five years and it was there that colleagues pressured me to audition.

I attended the show as part of the audience twice and the third time, I was convinced I had what it takes and quit my job and auditioned.

At the auditions, the director was convinced but I learnt the hard way that there is a difference between making your friends at home laugh and comedy.

For the next four months, I never got a chance to perform at the show despite attending all practice sessions but I never lost hope even as most of my colleagues did.

So when was your big break?

There is a segment of the show that they don’t show on TV that happens in between Churchill Raw and the main show where anyone in the audience who thinks he or she is funny is invited to perform and then the winners are awarded.

There is a day I was part of the audience and I volunteered. I was the only lady against three guys and I was declared the winner. Three weeks later, I got my first show.

Do you feel intimidated being the only woman in a male dominated field?

The industry does not care whether you are a man or a woman. It only cares if you have what it takes. My tough upbringing has taught me to fight for everything that is worth fighting for and despite what many people may think, I don’t get any special favours.

In fact, the men treat me as an equal.

Why is it that unlike other sectors in the entertainment industry, it is only comedy where women don’t prosper as much as men?

You need an iron heart to survive as a comedian. There are days when you come on stage and the audience just stares at you without laughing.

When this happens, most women, I have seen, will run backstage and cry saying they will never step on stage again and give up.

No one wants to rehearse for a week and be in that situation but when it happens to me, I use it as a learning experience and don’t let it go to me.

A lot of new comedians fizzle out after making it big but the old ones manage to maintain relevance. Are we expecting the same from you?

Sometimes things happen so fast. One week you are struggling to get recognition and the other you are suddenly famous. Many comedians are unable to handle the pressure that comes with being a sudden celebrity. I always try not to get it into my head and I am very religious.

How has comedy changed your life?

As I told you earlier, my family was living in Korogocho slum before I joined Churchill and by being a comedian I have managed to pull them out of the slums.

There are rumours that you are dating fellow comedian YY…

(Laughing) That is a creation of you guys in the media. People just saw a selfie I took with him and uploaded it to a social site and the rumours started. I am not dating him and I will never date a comedian.

So are you dating?

I prefer not to answer that because my answer may affect my relationship with my fans who most of them are men.

Speaking of men, you have made a career out of cracking jokes about men. Is there a relationship between your show character and the real you?

Zeddy and Zainabu are two different people. On TV, I have created an image of this carefree and tough city girl who says it as it is but in real life, you will be surprised, I am very humble.

So do men stop you on the streets or they fear being blasted?

Before I joined Churchill they used to, but no one has tried for quite some time. I guess it’s because of what I say.

You still haven’t convinced me.

Ok, I guess I have stood up against men once. When I was young in class seven there was a time I was coming from school and found my elder brother being beaten by another boy and he wasn’t fighting back. I fought the fight for him and beat up the other boy until he ran away. That’s it.

Has the Industry reached its threshold or there is room for new acts?

There is still a lot of room but for unique acts. If you have been watching the shows, you have seen new acts like Kasee and Maji Moto; these are the people to watch out for because they fit this category.

Apart from comedy, do you do anything else?

I am a designer and during my spare time I try and design some trendy Hijabs.