Lynn Ngugi was born at Nairobi’s renowned Pumwani Hospital and was raised by her mother after her parents’ divorce. The separation forced them to move to a more affordable, single-room home in Huruma Estate.
Her mother worked as a small-time shoe vendor in Gikomba, and later transitioned to selling clothes in Nairobi’s Central Business District. Lynn recalls, “My mother worked tirelessly, selling shoes and clothes to put food on the table. It was a constant struggle, but she never gave up.”
Lynn attended Ndururno Primary School, where she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). Despite the financial challenges that kept her out of class more often than she would have liked, her mother emphasized the importance of education. “My mother was strict about my schooling. Even though I missed school due to lack of fees, she always found a way to keep me in school,” Lynn explained.
Lynn excelled in her KCPE exams, earning a spot at Moi High School. However, due to financial constraints, she had to repeat Class 8. “I passed my exams and was accepted into Moi Girls School, but my mother couldn’t afford both my education and that of my older sister. So, she convinced me to repeat,” she said.
After retaking KCPE, Lynn joined Magumu High School in South Kinangop for her secondary education. Despite facing hardships, she excelled academically. After high school, Lynn was accepted to the University of Nairobi, but financial limitations prevented her from attending. “It was heartbreaking to have the potential but not the means to pursue my dream of studying law and becoming like Harvey from ‘Suits,’” she shared.
Lynn turned to acting as an alternative path, auditioning at the Kenya National Theatre. She performed set books for Ksh 600 per show. In 2011, Lynn enrolled at the East Africa School of Media Studies and earned an Associate Degree in Mass Communication and Broadcast Journalism in 2013.
After college, Lynn faced the challenges of job hunting. She and her friend Kate created demo videos and dropped them off at various media houses. “We kept trying, but there were no callbacks. Kate eventually secured an attachment, but I didn’t. After six months of fruitless efforts, I gave up,” she said.
Although Lynn had offers to work with Kiwo Films, a shooting company, she couldn’t afford to travel to production sets due to a lack of funds. In desperation, she took an opportunity to travel to Dubai through a Facebook connection. Upon arrival, she applied for every job she could find and secured a position at a restaurant that offered housing and a work permit. “Just before my visitor visa expired, Costa Coffee called me back. I explained my situation, and they offered me accommodation and a work permit. That’s how I became a barista,” Lynn recalled.
While the job provided enough income to send money back home, Lynn felt unfulfilled. “Every day I woke up to make coffee, but I felt depressed. I wasn’t following my passion, and seeing my friends succeed back home made me realize I had dreams to chase,” she said. After six months, she returned to Kenya.
Once back, Lynn struggled to find a job, so she returned abroad to work as a project manager at Qatar Foundation Research and Development. She worked there from 2013 to 2016. By 2016, she had saved enough money to return home and pursue her passion for production, creating The Kilimani Mums Show. After shooting the pilot episode and posting it on YouTube, her channel was hit with a copyright violation from a major media outlet, resulting in the loss of her channel.
In the midst of planning her next steps, Lynn’s former schoolmate, Edwin Ochieng, encouraged her to join TUKO as a reporter. Lynn impressed the supervisors and quickly rose to a position as a video producer and content developer. “At TUKO, I shared my desire to report on human interest stories. I wanted to tell the untold stories that matter most,” she explained.
Lynn worked at TUKO until 2021, when she left to start her own company, Lynn Ngugi Network, and launched The Lynn Ngugi Show. “I wanted full control over how I tell stories and to own my content. I felt that the stories I shared were powerful, and I wanted to be accountable to myself and my audience,” she said.
Through perseverance and a commitment to her dreams, Lynn has now established herself as a respected storyteller and entrepreneur in the media industry.
