Priscilla Wangui, known to millions as Priscilla wa Imani, is more than just a TikTok sensation. While her whistling videos go viral, her heart remains in the Mathare Mabatini slums where she grew up.
In an exclusive interview with Moses Sagwe of Mpasho, the creator revealed a life of deep charity and a surprising plan to quit the digital stage.
Feeding Mathare Mabatini
Priscilla’s daily life is currently defined by her commitment to the community she once called home. She runs a charity programme specifically for the residents of Mathare Mabatini.
This initiative is not a solo effort. She coordinates with a group of businesspeople who provide financial support when she calls upon them.
“My charity work in Mathare Mabatini is something I can’t stop doing. When I was a young girl, my family happened to live in in Mathare Mabatini,” she opened up.
She added that she usually gets help from well-wishers online to help run her cause in the slum area.
“I usually don’t struggle. I have a group of business people online, of whom whenever I call them and inform them that on a particular day, I’m going for a charity mission there, they usually chip in with help.”
Priscilla noted that the area is currently struggling with both hunger and a bedbug infestation.
Her current vision is to scale this support to reach at least 100 households in the near future.
“This time round, I have a vision of fumigating 100 households because right now the people of Mathare Mabatini are struggling with hunger and bedbugs,” she stated.
The Looming Exit from Social Media
Despite her massive following, Priscilla is ready to leave the internet behind. She admitted to Moses Sagwe that she is experiencing extreme exhaustion.
Surprisingly, she revealed that she never personally liked social media; it was her children who encouraged her to join the platforms.
She intends to “fade out” gracefully, just as she entered. Priscilla wants to be remembered for the impact she made rather than just her online presence. She expressed a strong desire to focus on her offline life and her various artistic talents away from the camera.
“Very soon, I’m planning to exit from social media. It’s something I’ve long wanted, it has been in my thoughts and I believe everything has its own time and reason. I would really like to leave the internet soon. I get very tired,” she said.
Wa Imani added that she doesn’t enjoy being on the internet, but she found herself in these spaces courtesy of her kids.
The Hidden Gospel Roots
While the world knows her for whistling, Priscilla’s creative journey actually began in 2012 as a gospel singer. Before she was a content creator, she travelled to Kampala, Uganda, to record a six-song album with a producer named Badman.
She is a registered member of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya. Priscilla clarified that a gospel video recently circulating online was not new, but was actually recorded in 2016.
She prefers to sing in her mother tongue, Kikuyu, and even recorded a full song titled “Azimio la Umoja” during the last election cycle.
