Lynn Ngugi was born at Nairobi’s renowned Pumwani Hospital and was raised by her mother after her parents’ divorce. The split forced them to move to a more affordable, single-room residence in Huruma Estate.
Her mother supported the family by selling shoes in Nairobi’s central business district. “My mother was a small-time shoe vendor in Gikomba. She sold a limited collection of shoes just to put food on the table. Later, she became a clothes hawker in the city, which was quite challenging,” Lynn recalled.
Lynn attended Ndururno Primary School, where she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). “My mother was adamant about the importance of education. Even though I often missed school due to financial constraints, she always managed to keep me in class,” Lynn said.
Lynn excelled in her KCPE and was admitted to Moi High School. However, due to financial difficulties, she had to retake Class 8. “I passed my primary exams and was accepted to Moi Girls School. But without sufficient funds or a scholarship, my mother persuaded me to repeat primary school. She couldn’t afford to support both me and my older sister in high school,” she explained.
After retaking the KCPE, Lynn joined Magumu High School in South Kinangop for her secondary education. Despite the hardships she faced, Lynn thrived academically. She was accepted into the University of Nairobi, but financial constraints prevented her from enrolling. “It was heartbreaking to have so much potential but not be able to attend university due to money issues. I wanted to study law and follow in the footsteps of characters like Harvey from ‘Suits,’ but I lacked the funds,” she lamented.
Without university plans, Lynn turned to acting and auditioned at the Kenya National Theatre (KNT), performing set books for a modest pay of Ksh 600. In 2011, she enrolled at the East Africa School of Media Studies, earning an Associate Degree in Mass Communication and Broadcast Journalism in 2013.
“Job hunting was tough after graduation. My friend Kate and I created demo videos and submitted them to various media stations,” Lynn recounted. “While Kate secured an attachment, I did not get any callbacks, and after six months of unsuccessful attempts, I decided to give up.”
Despite offers from Kiwo Films to work with a shooting firm, Lynn couldn’t afford the travel expenses to video production sets. Eventually, a friend she met on Facebook offered her an opportunity to travel to Dubai. She arrived on a visitor’s visa and searched for jobs, eventually landing a position at a restaurant that provided housing and a work permit.
“Just days before my visitor’s 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,” she said.
Although Lynn managed to send money home, she felt unfulfilled and returned to Kenya after six months. “Every day making coffee felt like a chore. I was unfulfilled because I wasn’t pursuing my passion. Seeing my classmates succeed in Kenya reminded me of the dreams I wanted to chase,” she said.
Back in Kenya but struggling to find a suitable job, Lynn went abroad again, this time working as a project manager at Qatar Foundation Research and Development from 2013 to 2016. With enough savings by 2016, she returned home to venture into production with The Kilimani Mums Show. However, after filming the pilot episode and posting it on YouTube, she faced a copyright violation from a major media outlet, resulting in the loss of her channel.
Undeterred, Lynn’s former schoolmate, Edwin Ochieng, encouraged her to work as a reporter for TUKO. Her impressive work led to a permanent position as a video producer and content developer. Lynn eventually expressed a desire to focus on human interest stories. “I wanted to take the road less traveled and cover stories that mattered to me personally,” she said.
Lynn worked at TUKO until 2021 when she left to start her own company, Lynn Ngugi Network, which produces the Lynn Ngugi Show. “I wanted to control how I tell my stories and own my intellectual property. I believed in the beauty of the stories I shared and wanted to be accountable only to myself and my audience,” she concluded.
