CELEB BUZZ: Hats off to go-getter Amina Abdi

Amina Abdi Rabar, host of The Trend on NTV. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Throughout my life, such people have always inspired me to get out of my comfort zone, chase opportunities and be a better man.
  • Several energetic Kenyan personalities have inspired me in one way or the other and one of them is Amina Abdi Rabar.

I am always inspired by people with magnetic energy.

The kind of people who constantly project gravitas, never stop working and constantly have their affairs in order.

Sometimes I am envious of them, in a good way. The positive envy (if such a thing exists) has made me to not only borrow a leaf from them but the whole branch as well and sometimes the full tree. Throughout my life, such people have always inspired me to get out of my comfort zone, chase opportunities and be a better man.

Several energetic Kenyan personalities have inspired me in one way or the other and one of them is Amina Abdi Rabar.

Is there any other Kenyan female celebrity that hustles harder than her? We can decide to take time and find out but we might grow old while doing so because the truth is, there is none.

GREAT WORK ETHIC

Amina’s work ethic has always left me in awe. When I think of being in love with what you do, the first picture that comes to my mind is that of Amina.

How she manages to easily juggle life as a radio presenter, TV host and MC on a weekly basis without getting tired is a mystery. With all the various responsibilities, she still remains happy and bubbly.

There are people who only have one job but they are miserable and constantly get the feeling that they’re doing too much work.

Seriously, how does she do it? Maybe she’s superman’s long lost cousin from Planet Krypton. It’s like on every corner of earth, Amina is there. She’s on The Trend, she’s hosts a breakfast show on Capital FM, she’s hosting, she’s taking trips abroad and she’s also taking care of her family.

Amina has had a hardscrabble rise to the top. I first heard about her back in 2012 while I was in campus. Back then, she was a junior presenter at Homeboyz Radio. She would stand in for one of the senior presenters in case they were sick or on leave. She was given a Saturday night show at some point and through it, she showed how entertaining she can be if given more hours to purvey her voice to the masses.

TRANSFORMATION

Her hard work paid off rather quickly. Chris Kirubi soon came calling. He offered her job at Capital FM as the presenter of the iconic Hits Not Homework after Joey Muthengi left. That’s when the gates of success really opened up for her. She transformed from an unknown young nascent radio girl learning the ropes in the media industry to one of those celebrities who alter the center of gravity when they walk into a room.

Since then she’s had gigs at Ebru TV, Coke Studio and many other places that might fill a book that will rival the bible in length and size if I mentioned them all.

The variety of tasks she performs has conveniently and admirably made it impossible for people to pigeonhole her into a particular area as is the case many other celebrities. You cannot call her “Host wa The Trend” or “MC wa Coke Studio.” Everyone knows that by doing that, they’ll be doing her injustice because they are aware that she does so much more.

IN HER OWN HEELS

A few people were skeptical when she took over as captain of the cargo ship that is The Trend. Some argued that she wouldn’t be able to fill Larry Madowo’s shoes. She went on to prove that she didn’t need to fill any man’s shoes. She came with her own heels and tailored the show to suit her personality.

Under her stewardship, the ship has continued sailing smoothly, if not faster. She has her own presence that always pierces through the screen and keeps you attentive.

In the numerous events that she hosts, she always handles things with expertise.

When I attended the Nairobi edition of Wasafi Festival where Amina and MC Tricky were the hosts, I noticed one thing.

Amina would easily steer things back to their proper place when Tricky would get carried away and saunter into wobbly, unpaved territories. Such composure only comes with experience.

UNTOUCHABLE MAESTRO

Tricky is one of my favourite comedians and while he’s an untouchable maestro when his job is purely to make people laugh, he’s still a novice when it comes to events hosting.

However, he’s lucky to have Amina as one of his friends and I am sure that with time, he’ll be just as good.

Of course, she has flaws and I’ll be happy to point them out, the moment I see them, as I do with other celebrities.

But the fact remains that in an industry that is full of humdrum and questionable characters, Amina is one of the few respectable people you would definitely want your daughter or sister to be like.

It is my wish that she keeps grinding like she does and even become better. I hope that she not only continue to inspiring young men like me but also young women.

For the young ladies, you don’t have to lie that you are a model and actress just to look cool on social media or in front of your friends, yet you are suffering inside.

For the guys, you don’t have to pretend that you are successful and big yet you are struggling.

You can simply choose to learn from people such as Amina, rise slowly and eventually become a quintessential success story.