LENANA & HELEN KARIBA: A Serendipitous Journey into the Spotlight

At just 34 years old, Lenana Kariba has undeniably carved a remarkable path for himself in the dynamic world of acting. Surprisingly, his journey into this captivating career was born out of happenstance after he accompanied a friend to an audition for the renowned hospital drama series – ‘Saints’. Little did he know that this serendipitous moment would lead him on an extraordinary odyssey, embracing a plethora of diverse roles in the acting realm. Lenana who is joined by his wife Helen for this interview opens up about the intriguing tapestry of his life in an exclusive conversation with DIANA RACHEL MBUGUA, weaving together the threads of his youth, his transforming experiences as an actor, and the significant duties he fulfills as both a dedicated husband and a nurturing father.

Early life…

Lenana Kariba, the youngest of four children, views his childhood as “very normal; typical of the youngest member of a family.” He denies being a “spoiled child,” as his wife claims. He was raised in Ridgeways, Kiambu County, and went to St Christopher’s High School in Nairobi with no intention of becoming an actor. It was a mere requirement to join a school club which led him to reluctantly choose the drama club, hoping it would secure him an easy grade at the term’s end report.

“Our teachers used to make us do little skits and one of them was like: ‘Lenana is actually good, let’s place him in a role and put the play together’. That’s how I began having fun at being a member of the drama club where I played different characters. I didn’t know I had the talent until I started participating in the school plays,” he recalls.

The accidental career path…

When he graduated from high school, his passion for acting was rekindled when he accompanied a friend to audition for the hospital drama series, ‘Saints’. On impulse, he also decided to audition and to his surprise got a role.

“After being cast in ‘Saints’, I thought, I guess I can act, so I started working harder and trying to get better,” he states.

He enjoyed watching movies when he was younger, and he still does. He recalls watching movies and later learning that everything was staged and not real.

“It always fascinated me. I wanted to know how they did those things. I wished I could get to know the production part of a movie,” he recalls.

While most kids his age wanted to be doctors, engineers, or pilots, he was just interested in working in the entertainment sector. He studied Electronic Media and Marketing at Daystar University with no notion he would end up as an actor.

Lenana started his acting career with his role as a doctor in the series ‘Saints.’ He describes this as such a surreal moment for him, especially playing alongside famous actors such as Sarah Hassan and Nice Githinji.

“I used to watch these guys on TV and had no idea one day I would be working alongside them. Acting a doctor’s role was pretty tough because there were all those doctor terminologies that I had to learn. That was difficult at first but after I got a feel of it I got the ball rolling,” he explains.

The rise and rise of an actor…

He has played different characters in different drama series. His character in the Showmax Crime and Justice series as a detective brought out the serious Lenana. He played a blind musician at the Phoenix Theatre, which he describes as an interesting character. While he doesn’t have a specific most memorable role, he says he loved the whole production of Auntie Boss.

“The reason I really enjoyed Auntie Boss is because it was the first time I did comedy. Before that, I had only acted in drama and action series. I enjoyed Auntie Boss because everything was just so loose and fun. It was more about shooting the show than the character. Comedy is a lot of fun,” he says.

He adds that each character he plays brings something new to the table.

“Preparation for a certain role needs a lot of discussion with the producers and directors to understand what the character entails. This includes discussing the pre-vision and presenting the back story, and also determining why a given character is like that,” he says.

“I always try to think about the people who are like the character I play in my life, or people I have come across. This helps me to recreate the character as someone familiar. A lot of the times you watch these shows and you are like, ‘I know a guy who is like that’ and then you put that person into the character,” he explains.

Coping with challenges…

His career, like any other, is not without its challenges. Getting a job in the acting industry takes a lot of time and effort, and you may still miss out on a role even though you fit in. It can take several months before you find the next job after you complete a project.

“Although there are now many shows coming up on platforms such as Showmax and DSTV, which are providing opportunities to actors, many actors are still struggling to find a balance between work and pay. The investment for the actor is not as brilliant as it should be if it was to be fully rewarded,” he opines.

According to Lenana, once a show is done and the show goes into another platform, actors do not get their deserved royalties. He explains a time he played a role in Lies that Bind aired on one of the local TV stations and as soon as they had completed the production it was sold to other TV stations and the actors did not receive any compensation. He says this is not fair.

However, while it is not all doom and gloom in the film industry in Kenya, according to Helen, Lenana’s British wife, there is a lot to learn from her country.

“From what I’ve seen in the UK with my friends who work in the entertainment industry, it is much more organized. In Kenya, it can be quite disorganized when it comes to pay issues. The quality of life the people in the industry lead also leaves a lot to be desired unless you are one of the top guys in the Showmax shows,” she says adding that the ‘little’ folks in the industry have to work second jobs to survive.

Helen and Lenana acknowledge that there are many talented actors, producers, directors, and also amazing scriptwriters in Kenya who would be thriving if there were more platform options, better industry organization, and pay structures.

A love for Kenya…

The couple lives both in Kenya and the UK. They met in Nairobi in 2019 at a mutual friend’s house party. Helen grew up in London. Her mom is from the UK, and although her dad is English, he was born in Kenya which gives her a strong connection to the country.

“My dad grew up in Nairobi and went to school there. I have been back and forth between Kenya and the UK my whole life. I consider myself Kenyan because of my dad’s connection and now being married to a Kenyan. I feel very much at home in Kenya,” Helen says.

Growing up she spent a lot of time at the Coast, where her parents run a charity in a village in Kikambala that helped fund schools. From these visits, she fell in love with the country and its people. She didn’t know at the time the love of her life would be from the country she loved so much.

“Though Lenana and I had mutual friends in Kenya for many years and even been to the same parties and events, we hadn’t met until that day at a mutual friend’s house party,” says Helen of meeting the love of her life.

At the time they met, Helen worked in Nairobi but soon after her work needed her to relocate back to Europe. They were just a few months into the relationship and deeply in love. The prospects of her moving back to London rushed them into making a quick decision on the future of their relationship. It was either to let go and move on or commit to each other. They chose the latter and went ahead to plan for a wedding within a year of meeting.

Covid-19 interfered with their plans after everything shut down. Because travel was restricted at the time, it was impossible to fly their family to the UK for the wedding. They set a date for a destination wedding in August 2021 in a place where it would be easy to get a marriage license. They chose the Caribbean island of Antigua.

“It was just the two of us. It was so beautiful. We fell in love with the resort and turned it into a holiday wedding,” the couple says adding they plan to have a traditional wedding in Kenya where both families can attend and participate.

When I ask Helen what it is like to be married to an actor she says, “Watching what he goes through especially the working hours and how much he puts into the roles, I think people underestimate how difficult it is to be on a set and how many hours the actors and crew put in. Sometimes he goes to work at 4 a.m. and is not back until midnight and was working all through. It is so different from my job.”

She holds a degree in economics and works in the finance field.

Balancing career and family…

The couple has spent more time this year in the UK since the birth of their daughter Ava, but plan to spend part of the second half of the year in Kenya.

“When I have to work I talk to the producers to let them know how long I can be in Nairobi. Especially now with Ava here, I can’t just leave London and my family. We have plans for my family to visit us in London before we get back home so that they can meet their grandchild,” Lenana says.

“We are fortunate to be in a position where we are able to travel as my work is flexible. I’m able to work from home and my employer is okay with me working from Kenya so staying there for any extended period of time is not a problem,” Helen adds.

The couple supports each other’s dreams. Lenana says it would not have mattered what Helen did when they met. He fell in love with her at first sight. They confess to being each other’s cheerleaders in whatever they embark on, especially in their careers.

“I am supposed to be in Nairobi to work on a project that will last two months but how can I leave Ava at seven weeks? Helen is really supportive and pushing me to go and do it because it’s good for my career,” Lenana speaks of the support his wife gives him, adding that he also wants her to be the best at her career which is very demanding and with very high targets to achieve.

They are both enjoying the parenting journey, which they call a learning curve. They admit that no book can prepare you to be a parent and there’s no formula that fits all.

“All the things that we read about, and the advice we get helps a lot but all babies are different so each parent has to navigate through to find out what works for their baby,” Helen says, adding that she delights in the fact that both waited until they were in their thirties to become parents.

“I would have been a bit selfish if I had the baby when I was much younger and my priorities were elsewhere, but now I am able to fully focus on the baby,” she says.

“A baby is also expensive to bring up, especially when you want to give them the best in terms of education and other life necessities. We have discussed with my husband about having more children but for now, we are satisfied with Ava and she will most likely be an only child,” says Helen.

Raised as an only child, Helen says she was very happy growing up as she had cool parents who allowed her to have parties with other kids when they visited. She never felt odd or alone by not having siblings as she always had friends in their house. She hopes Ava will grow up to say she had cool parents.

Dealing with the outside world…

Being in the spotlight is not as stressful for Lenana as it appears to be for many celebrities.

“I have never felt like a celebrity, especially in a small city such as Nairobi. Being an actor hasn’t altered my identity,” Lenana says.

Though they have received a few unfavourable remarks on social media, such as some people questioning why Lenana could not marry a Kenyan, Lenana says such comments do not bother him unless they affect his wife.

“I can’t be mad at those who question why Lenana chose to marry me and not a Kenyan. My first feeling when I read one such comment was ‘that’s not a nice thing to say’, but then I guess this kind of person is coming from a place they have no capacity to understand. Such people and their remarks are not worth my energy,” says Helen adding that she is not much on social media but understands it takes patience and tolerance to handle comments from the outside world.

What the future looks like…

Lenana advises those interested in pursuing an acting career to develop tough skin. He admits it’s a difficult path to take, especially when you don’t know when your next paycheck will arrive, or when your next audition will be.

“The competition is massive. You have hundreds of people auditioning for the same role and you have to go hoping that you will be picked. While you may be a good actor, you may not be picked because you don’t have the look for the role. Anything could make you not be picked and if you have not developed a thick skin, you will be discouraged,” he advises.

He also advises potential actors never to give up when they miss an opportunity. “It only takes one gig for you to kick start that snowball effect with your name getting out there, but it’s tough,” he says.

Lenana bagged the Couture Africa Male Fashion Award in 2020, and the Pulse Male Fashion Influencer Award in 2022 which he says came as a surprise to him since he had not pursued the titles.

“I’m not even into fashion that much. Yes, I like good clothes. Sometimes I will take a picture of an outfit I’m wearing and post it, so people think I’m a fashion influencer. However, I was grateful to be nominated and win the coveted title,” he says.

The actor expects to spend more time in Kenya towards the end of the year, as he has some planned projects, including shooting a movie.

He ends this interview with a quote: “It’s okay to look up to anyone, but just be yourself, don’t try to be someone else.”

This article was originally published in Issue 438. Click HERE to read the full issue.

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