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Njoki came to Rwanda in November 2021 to visit her cousin during her gap year. What began as a short visit eventually led to university and a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She enrolled at East African University Rwanda, where she studied journalism and mass communication and graduated at the top of her class. Nearly five years later, she has established herself professionally while growing her online presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI love Rwanda. Rwanda is nice. It\u2019s been nice. It\u2019s been a good ride so far. I\u2019m enjoying myself. I\u2019m putting out content, you know, I\u2019m living life every day, one day at a time,\u201d Njoki remarked during an exclusive interview with IGIHE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Njoki, her Rwanda experience has been about more than work and social media. It has involved learning a new language, navigating a different culture, being away from family and adapting to a different pace of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And somewhere along the way, Kinyarwanda, once one of her biggest challenges, became one of the ways she connected with Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From struggling with Kinyarwanda to going viral<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning Kinyarwanda was initially one of Njoki\u2019s biggest challenges after moving to Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKinyarwanda is not easy. It is not easy. At first, the language was like, \u2018Yo, I\u2019m so lost. I can\u2019t get anything.\u2019 But with time, I learned it,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She picked up much of the language from friends at university and colleagues at work. Her Kikuyu background also helped her recognise similarities between some words in the two Bantu languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after years in Rwanda, Njoki says learning Kinyarwanda remains an ongoing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes I forget some words. It\u2019s a learning process. It never ends,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her experience with the language eventually became an unexpected source of inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After seeing Kenyan content creator Debby Rono do an impression of how Kinyarwanda sounded to her, Njoki decided to try her own version, drawing on the words she had learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI did that, and the first video got a lot of attention, and I was like, \u2018Oh, this works. Let me do more,\u2019\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The response encouraged her to keep experimenting, and Kinyarwanda soon became a recurring feature of her videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Njoki, the language is not simply a way to entertain. It has also become a<\/p>\n\n\n\n way of engaging with Rwandan culture and sharing her experience as a Kenyan living in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding a different pace of life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest ways Rwanda has influenced Njoki, she says, is by changing how she approaches everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming from Kenya, she describes life there as fast-paced and energetic. In Rwanda, she learned to slow down, be more approachable and take things as they come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRwanda has taught me that you can actually become. You don\u2019t have to always be in a rush every time, in like defensive mode every time,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel like since I came to Rwanda, I\u2019ve learned how to be a bit calmer, and just chill, and take a minute to take in life as it comes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She says the experience has also broadened her perspective and exposed her to different cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRwanda has also taught me to open up my mind and embrace different cultures, the Rwandan culture. And because we have so many foreigners here, you\u2019re exposed to a lot,\u201d she added, noting that adjusting to life away from home came with challenges, including learning Kinyarwanda, being separated from her family and adapting to Rwanda\u2019s food culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kenya and Rwanda: Different cultures, familiar people<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Njoki sees clear cultural differences between Kenya and Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She describes Kenyans as generally more outspoken and energetic, while she sees Rwandans as quieter and more reserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKenyans are rowdy. There is a lot of chaos, there\u2019s a lot of loudness,\u201d she observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite those differences, she says the two countries share similarities in areas such as religion, food and aspects of everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, Njoki says Rwanda gives her a strong feeling of home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m in Rwanda, I feel like I\u2019m at home. People are the same,\u201d she reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes Rwanda stand out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the things Njoki admires most about Rwanda is what she sees as the country\u2019s deliberate efforts to promote women\u2019s participation and empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love the fact that you guys actually are very intentional when it comes to uplifting women, and the fact that we have so many women in parliament,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She praised efforts to ensure women are not left behind, including discussions around workplace equality and pay gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey talk about it and they actually do it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Njoki also highlighted Rwanda\u2019s security and cleanliness, saying the country\u2019s reputation for being clean is reflected in everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI like the fact that people here don\u2019t litter. You\u2019ll see someone walking with a bottle up to home or up to where you\u2019ll see a dustbin,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bigger ambitions for her career<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking ahead, Njoki hopes to take her work to a much bigger stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the next five years, she wants to work with brands, secure partnerships, MC events, travel and develop new skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to be doing content on a full scale. I want to work with brands. I want brand deals, to advertise for people, MC for people. I want to travel more,\u201d she stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also hopes to use her growing platform to give back to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust pick up as many skills as I can, and just be able to give back more to people than I\u2019m taking,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t let anyone shame you for trying\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For young people who are afraid of being judged when pursuing their ideas, Njoki urged them not to let criticism or embarrassment hold them back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t let anyone shame you for trying,\u201d she urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She encouraged young people not to abandon their ideas simply because others consider them embarrassing or \u201ccringe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou see that thing people are calling cringe? Nah, do it,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her advice is to keep trying, take things one day at a time and remember that no one has everything figured out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo one has everything figured out. So, just try and don\u2019t let anyone shame you for trying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch the full video with Anna Njoki below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/DSC08799_1-new.jpg\")
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