Mwalimu Rachel: I made many mistakes while managing The Sailors
What you need to know:
- I made some mistakes while managing them and I own up to that.
- I didn’t insist on having clear contracts that defined each of our roles. We both made many assumptions.
- I don’t blame myself for The Sailors' downfall but I wish they had listened to me more regardless of everything that transpired between us.
Her parents gave her the name Rachel Muthoni, but Kenyans knows her as Mwalimu Rachel. She is a radio presenter, emcee, talent manager, and sometimes a controversial figure.
Most people don’t seem to realise that I have been in the entertainment industry for 18 years. My journey and growth have been gradual. I started as a radio intern at Ghetto Radio while still in campus.
I’m Coastarian. I was born and raised in Mombasa where we lived for 13 years before my father relocated our family to our rural home in Embu.
You may want to call me bougie and that’s fine. I love the soft life and there is nothing wrong with that. But again there isn’t an environment I can't survive in. I adapt very well to changes.
Should exes remain friends? That depends on the circumstances that led to your split. Some exes are toxic.
Leaving Homeboyz radio after seven years was the hardest decision I ever made. I literary broke down because I had become so attached to the audience and colleagues. My boss, John Rabar, didn’t want to let me go but he sent me out with so much love.
I love reading books especially those on self-growth and development. Two books that changed my view on career life is Who Moved My Cheese and Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Lois Frankel. It speaks on the mistakes women make that sabotage their careers.
Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office helped me understand why you need to be kind but not nice.
I was accused of exploiting Gengetone artists The Sailors when I managed them, but I’ve come to own the story. In hindsight, there was no way I was going to avoid the scandal.
I made some mistakes while managing them and I own up to that. I didn’t insist on having clear contracts that defined each of our roles. We both made many assumptions.
I don’t blame myself for The Sailors' downfall but I wish they had listened to me more regardless of everything that transpired between us.
Would I consider managing them again? At the moment, no. It's been many years since our fallout and my mind is on mentoring young girls in high school.
