Kenya’s Gospel Singer, Cecilia Wairimu, popularly known as Amani has made a significant transition from secular to gospel music and entered a new chapter in her personal life when she tied the knot with her Nigerian husband Chinasa Udeala in 2017.
Opting for a private ceremony attended only by close friends and family, Amani has since kept her family away from the limelight, maintaining a low profile in the public eye.
In an interview with Lynn Ngugi, Amani provided insights into her marriage and family life.
Despite her celebrity status, she values her family’s privacy and believes it unfair to involve her husband, who is not a public figure, in her limelight.
She, however, expressed gratitude for his continuous support and understanding of her career, acknowledging him as her number one supporter who encourages her pursuits, including her music career.
“Anybody who knows my husband knows that he’s my number one supporter. If there’s anybody who’d push me to do things it’s him. Even right now the person pushing me to release music is him. He understands who I am and he’s comfortable with himself,” she said.
Regarding her son, Amani is committed to allowing him to enjoy his childhood without the pressures of social media or public exposure.
She firmly believes in letting him make his own decisions about being in the spotlight when he reaches an appropriate age.
As a Christian woman, Amani reflected on the concept of submission in marriage. She described it as a learning process, emphasising the importance of understanding and compromising in a marital relationship.
“A Proverbs 31 woman is a process. You learn… You enter and you are like, what’s going on here? You people have come from two different backgrounds and you should understand each other,” she said.
Despite being single for a while and enjoying her independence, she learned to appreciate her husband’s extroverted nature and embrace his need for companionship.
“I was single for a while. I lived in my beautiful single-woman pad. I had my space but my husband is an extrovert he wants to be in your space. I realised that was him and I had to respect that. I got to appreciate the fact that he wants a conversation.
“My son is also an extrovert. He says hi to everybody in the compound. Even when I go to the supermarket. I’ve had to embrace that, his dad is an extrovert,” she said.
Reflecting on her marriage and family life, Amani expressed gratitude for the blessings and challenges they’ve encountered.
“I enjoy being a mum and a dad. Were not couple goals because we have had our moments. We’ve had our highs and lows. I remember before I conceived my son we went through a rough patch. And even after that.
“Times and seasons belong to God and prayer changes everything. I prayed about marriage. I desired to be married from a very early age.
“By 30, I had noticed that I had been in the market a lot. I wanted to have a happy home. I was also aware that marriage is not perfect but it’s a beautiful experience,” she said.
