It is perhaps high time President William Ruto, his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja learnt how to whistle in public.
This is the sensation who has been showing up in odd places and without warning, lets out a loud whistle followed by a shout “Priscilla wa Imani ndani ya …”.
She has done it in supermarkets, petrol stations, markets … and she says she might do it in a church, mosque, mortuary …”it’s only in a hospital where I cannot do it unless it is demanded as some sort of therapy”.
“You can imagine the joy it will be with the President urging us on with a loud whistle, Riggy G follows suit, Mr Sakaja takes over and I come in with my bit … that will be the day God has chosen for me … you can imagine the footage and how it would behave on social media,” she tells Nation.Africa.
Wa Imani, whose real name is Priscilla Gakuru, says whistling is in her soul and comes out effortlessly.
“Many would argue that it can only be done under the influence of some substance … My whistling is from sober lungs … sober soul,” she says.
She adds that many others think she once worked as a makanga (tout) — a trade that mostly relies on whistling to attract passengers and direct the driver.
“It is not the case. I started off as a hawker in my native Laikipia County. I’m a well-known hawker in Laikipia and Baringo markets,” she says.
She runs a shop near Laikipia University.
“Further, I tried my hand in gospel music where I have hits like ‘Omba’, ‘Kola Byona Byokola’, ‘Moyo Wangu’, ‘Kwanini’ and ‘Kibali’. I tried that line between 2012 and 2015,” she says.
However, she found the field so tough and unyielding to a point she relegated it to a “not too important side-hustle”.
“I tried hard but in vain to have my music given airplay. I never hawked my music because it is a very demanding enterprise … But all of a sudden, in comes TikTok and it is now a case of an answered prayer,” she says.
Her landing on TiKTok was an accident.
“I had gone to the village during a dowry ceremony. As I negotiated with the in-laws, someone was taking my video. And I whistled. I do not even know who took it, but it was uploaded. It ushered me into the world of content creation,” she says.
The audience was amused and impressed by her whistling prowess.
“I picked on whistling … Not many women can whistle and certainly few men can whistle like me. My whistle reverberates in my mind and heart … It is a blessed whistle,” she says.
“It comes from me … it is Godly … The Bible does not ban me from whistling. When the Bible says be of good cheer and rejoice, my input is in whistling. Others scream, others ululate and others clap as they jump up and down,” she says.
Her growth has been phenomenal to a point it also amazes her.
“I knew this was going to take me somewhere, but not at this rate. People are flocking my way with presents the moment I upload some content. Subscribers are coming my way. My God has come through TikTok,” she says.
Many believe she has an obsession with whistling, but Wa Imani says: “It is not the case, I don’t whistle in bed.”
Her husband and three children are very supportive.
“My husband loves it and that is the confidence you see in my whistle since it is supported by my family. My husband does not see my whistling as kiddish or thuggish,” she says.
She counseled spouses to be supportive of each other’s talents.
“Husbands, release your wives to explore their talents. Women too, release fully your husbands to venture out there and do their vibe,” she says.
“Let us not limit our children. If you notice they have a talent, let it shine as early as.”
Her vision is to be an international celebrity who will launch a performing arts’ centre, a launching pad for talents at the grassroots.
“It is very hard to find a launching pad. You can get old and die before you get a breakthrough. That is the tragedy I seek to avert in my success,” she says.
