Malaika Tenshi Nnyanzi, professionally known by her mononym as Malaika, is a Ugandan actress, media personality, model and fashionista. She is mostly known for her radio work on the D’Mighty Breakfast show on KFM and Malaika and Oulanya on Capital Fm as well as her acting work on Veronica's Wish, Bed of Thorns,

The Honourables ''The Honourables'' is a Ugandan political satire-drama series that premiered on NTV Uganda NTV Uganda is a Ugandan television station under the Nation Media Group (NMG), operating in East Africa. It has been on air since 2006. It is one of the ...

and Mela.

Career

Modeling and fashion

Malaika started her modeling career in Nairobi, Kenya. She also ran a model management company with a male partner and showcased their work at a number of events including the Swahili Fashion Week. She left Nairobi and moved to Uganda where she continued her modeling career alongside emceeing corporate and entertainment events. She is a brand ambassador for Sweet Lips wine.

Radio and television

On her return to Uganda from Kenya, Malaika joined Vision Group's Urban Television as a cohost with

Gaetano Kagwa Gaetano Jjuko Kagwa is a Ugandan actor and broadcaster. He currently co-hosts the breakfast show ''Gaetano & Lucky in the Morning'' at 91.3 Capital FM with Lucky Mbabazi. He is a judge on '' East Africa's Got Talent'' alongside Dj Makeda, Jeff ...

on a morning breakfast show called Urban Today. She later left Urban Today and hosted Fashionista before she left Urban Television altogether in November 2016. She also joined South African entertainment channel Rockstar Group as the new face of a television show called SHOOOOSH! Malaika started her radio career at KFM in Kampala in April 2017. She co-hosted a morning breakfast show, D’Mighty Breakfast show with Brian Mulondo. In 2019, she left KFM and joined Capital Fm and started hosting ''Malaika and Oulanya'' with Oulanya Columbus replacing

Gaetano Gaetano (anglicized ''Cajetan'') is an Italian masculine given name. It is also used as a surname. It is derived from the Latin ''Caietanus'', meaning "from ''Caieta''" (the modern Gaeta). The given name has been in use in Italy since medieval per ...

and Lucky in their Overdrive slot.

Acting

Malaika debuted her acting career on Nisha Kalema's 2018 drama film Veronica's Wish playing a supporting role as Bankia. She received two nominations for the role in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 2018

Uganda Film Festival Awards The Uganda Film Festival Awards, also known as UFF Awards, are presented annually to recognize excellence in the film Industry in Uganda. The awards started in 2013 under a Uganda Communications Commission initiative to recognize and develop the ...

and ZAFAA Global Awards in 2019. She was then cast in the lead role as Stella in a 2019

Eleanor Nabwiso Eleanor Vaal Nansibo Nabwiso is a Ugandan actress, producer, director and television personality. She is known for her work on ''The Hostel'', ''Rain'', ''Beneath The Lies - The Series, Beneath the Lies - The Series'' and ''Bed of Thorns'' as th ...

directed film Bed of Thorns. For this role, Malaika was nominated and won the Best Actress Award at the 2019

. She was also cast in a lead role as Mela Katende in Nana Kagga's family drama series Mela and joined

in 2019 as a main cast member.

Personal life

Malaika was born Malaika Nnyanzi to Ugandan parents in Nairobi Kenya, where her father, a former Ugandan army man had been exiled. Her family moved back to Uganda and settled in Kampala. She went to school at Safari Kindergarten, Kampala Parents School,

Gayaza High School Gayaza High School is the oldest all-girls boarding secondary school covering grades 8 to 13 (Secondary 1 to 6) in Uganda. The school is Church of Uganda, Church-founded, government of Uganda, government-aided and accredited by the Ministry of Ed ...

and

Makerere College Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

before returning to Kenya where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Business at the

United States International University Africa United States International University-Africa, also known as USIU-Africa, is a private university in Kenya. The university is accredited by the Commission for Higher Education (CUE) in Kenya and by the Western Association of Schools and College ...

in Nairobi. In 2018, during an interview with Crystal Newman on her show ''Crystal 1 On 1'', Malaika came out as epileptic and as a victim of rape by her work partner due to epilepsy, something she had kept private for over ten years and caused her depression.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malaika Living people Ugandan film actresses Ugandan television actresses Actresses from Kampala Actresses from Nairobi Ugandan television presenters Ugandan television personalities 21st-century Ugandan actresses 1989 births People educated at Gayaza High School Ugandan women television presenters Ugandan radio presenters Ugandan women radio presenters Ugandan actresses