Beating all odds: Kenyan female DJ with cerebral palsy

When Winnie turned 25, her mother sent her to the city to pursue her dream, Disc Jockeying. According to her mother,Rosemary, Winnie has always liked music from a tender age. But unlike many DJs flooding the entertainment industry, she mixes with her feet.

Winne, alias DJ Wiwa was born in Mwea, Kirinyaga County and it was not until she was six-months-old that her mother, Rosemary Njoki noticed her daughter’s development was not normal. Upon seeking medical attention, Rosemary was told that her third born had Cerebral Palsy, a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by brain damage which occurs before or during birth. While it shocked her, Rosemary gave her daughter all the care and attention she needed. But also treated her no different from her other children even assigning Winnie household chores.

To date, Winnie is able to perform most household chores including laundry and cleaning the house using her feet.   In the course of pursuing her dream, Winnie enrolled in a DJ academy in Nairobi where is halfway through the program. Her tutor Alex Gacega is proud of her and is optimistic that Winnie will be well accepted in the industry. “People are always impressed when she mixes at events,” Alex said during an interview with Royal Media Services. Besides deejaying, Winnie also has a loyal clientele base to whom she hawks quality earrings in Kirinyaga County. Disability is not inability and Winnie Wanjiku seems to perfectly embody this phrase.