Anifa: Actress in Malala's controversial play and how drama shaped her law career

She doesn’t say it overtly, but she has the air of a rebel around her. How else can you describe someone who could not cope with being employed at a law firm and started her own after just a year and a half of leaving law school?

How can you describe someone who took the fight to the government after learning that her former school had been stopped from staging a play at the 2025 national drama and film festivals?

Incidentally, she was part of the cast in 2013 that faced problems while staging the play Shackles of Doom. When she heard that the 2025 play Echoes of War had been barred, she could not help but fight.

“I had watched it, but I didn’t know we could get to this point. I was like, ‘Now, whatever I went to study in law school has to be put into use. Now is the proper opportunity for me to defend my former school.’ So, initially, the plan was that I represent the students. But we decided, since I’m an alumnus and also a lawyer, let me be the petitioner, and then we looked for another advocate to represent me,” she says.

After scoring an A- from Butere Girls, Anifa went to the University of Nairobi to study law. She was admitted to the bar in 2022, and she is dreaming big with a law firm she began not too long ago. She has drama to thank for making her who she is.

Tell us about the impact that drama club has had in your life…
I was a very shy girl in the beginning, but I was bold. All through primary school, I was just a quiet girl, but bold on the inside. And being a second born [of four children], you are usually the forgotten child. You don’t have so much attention on you. So, it also made me who I am. I have that ability to individuate.

I decided to join the drama club in high school because I really wanted to work on my identity and character. At that age, you are often always struggling with self-identity and insecurities.

So, [in Form Four, playwright-turned-politician Cleophas] Malala just picked me out. He said, ‘Anifa, you are going to do this lead role, whether you like it or not. I was so scared, but I asked myself, ‘What does he see in me that I’m not seeing myself? What exactly is it that he wants to bring out of me?’ I resolved to give it my best.

I overcame my fear, I overcame my imposter syndrome, I worked on my confidence on stage and eventually I was able to perform before crowds.

And I have never told this to Malala, but if it were not for him pushing me to play that character, I don’t think I would be this confident.

My confidence was silent, but I wanted this charisma to be out. I wanted to be this loud. And if it wasn’t for him showing me that it was possible, I wouldn’t know I had it in me. The experience shaped my character and identity. That is one purpose of extracurricular activities in school.

Tell us a little more about yourself...
I was born and raised in Mumias. When I finished my Class Eight and my dad told me I had been called to Butere Girls, I was very angry because you know Butere is just home. Mumias is Sh50 worth of bus fare away. I wanted to go far.

But I went to the school. It is big, spacious and modern. The teachers are very progressive. We have teachers from all over the country, we have enough facilities. It is such a good school.

You even saw the girls during Echoes of War how they were articulating themselves. They were very courageous. I think that is also an effect of Gen Z because during our time when our play was banned, we just cried.

I got a good grade and I joined the University of Nairobi, Parklands. I studied law then proceeded to Kenya School of Law. I was admitted to the bar on May 12, 2022.

What were your career aspirations when growing up?
When I was in Class Five, our teacher asked us, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ I said I wanted to be a judge. At that time, I didn’t know being a judge would entail being a lawyer first. So, when I got to high school, I got more clarity. I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer, and this profession aligns very well with my personality. I dream of being the Chief Justice of Kenya, but I know it’s a journey. You have to build a career before you can get to that point.

What sparked your interest to be a judge?
I don’t know how this may sound, but I’m a very…is it okay to say I’m a very judgmental person? [Laughs] I love to analyse. I feel like I have the spirit of discernment. Most of my friends come to me for advice, for clarity. I am so good at analysing people and picking out personalities.

You are heading into your third year as a lawyer, how has that been?
I like the fact that my career is bigger than myself. It is not about me; it is more about somebody coming in, telling you their problem, and you finding a solution. So, at the end of the day, I have to sit down, think about people’s problems and how best I can help them. For me, the ability to help people is very powerful because I’m a very philanthropic person, and I love people in general.

I am enjoying it. I did practise for the first one-and-a-half years under somebody, and then I decided to venture on my own. I run my own practice that I started in 2023—Anifa and Company Advocates. I have one employee.

Which area of law have you specialised in?
I am into family matters, land issues, succession, and commercial disputes. I don’t tackle criminal matters, just civil ones. I want to specialise in family law because I feel like I connect more with people on family issues.

Speaking of which, do you have a family?
Not yet, that will come when it will come.

You can be our next Judy Thongori, you know?
She was my role model. I would look at her and be like, ‘This is where I want to be. I want to have a law firm that everybody knows about. I met Judy, we had conversations over the phone. She’s a very lovely lady, she looks so much like my mother. I was very sad when she died.

There was a case we were handling together. She was very knowledgeable, and very young. She died at 61, as a Senior Counsel, with a law firm that is renowned; and even in her death we still talk about her. I want that. She lived not for so long, but she has left a mark.

Maybe you should have applied to be her pupil…
Not really. I’m not the employee type of person [laughs]. I am more of an entrepreneur. I’m a people’s person. You can't limit me with an eight-to-five job.

You have a TikTok account with nearly 80,000 followers, tell us more about it…
I came to discover that there are a lot of rumours around law, so I decided to open a TikTok page where I could clarify those misconceptions and enlighten Kenyans. That is how I started Wanjiru the Boss Chick on Tiktok, and before I knew it, people began reaching out seeking legal services. Aside from rumours, there is also a lot of ignorance in Kenya. People just don’t bother to countercheck. Most will just go with the wave.

For example, some say that if you live with a man for six months, that is a marriage. I once asked someone, ‘Where did you hear that?’ [Laughs].

Do you still consider yourself an actress? If a role comes in at the National Theatre, for instance, will you take it up?
Once an actress, always an actress. It’s just a matter of somebody giving you a script telling you, ‘Anifa, we want you to act like a desperate wife. Can you please throw some jabs?’ I’ll do it. However, acting is a very time-consuming career. I don’t think you can be an actress and also be a lawyer. Additionally, acting doesn’t really pay well in Kenya, you know. I can do it for fun, but it’s not something I can fully engage in.

Back to “Echoes of War”, Do you think the government obeyed the order on letting the girls stage the play?
That order said that the Ministry of Education and the relevant stakeholders should facilitate them to perform that play in its original form. Remember it was on a Wednesday evening. Those students had not reported to school yet. So, by Wednesday [April 9] evening, they had assembled in Butere Girls and were travelling overnight to Nakuru. They got there and were told not to rehearse. In the morning, they were told to go ahead and perform. There was no proper audience, they didn’t have their décor. The authorities wanted them to perform that play at gunpoint because we had [police] outside. the audience had been locked out.
The government cannot claim that they complied with the court order. They did not. They wanted the students to just perform for the sake of formality.

Do the rules bar non-teachers from directing school plays?
They don’t. the Basic Education Act enhances collaboration to ensure that basic education is provided at the maximum level. The argument that non-teachers cannot teach is just far-fetched and an afterthought. If that was the reality, they should have stopped that play from the onset, at the sub-county and county level. And we are not talking about Malala’s play only. We also have many other schools that have outsourced directors [for plays].

Your final remarks?
The President should go to that school, talk to those students and let them perform that play before him. He needs to watch it.

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