The Inspiring Story of Kanze Dena, A Young Waiter Who Nearly Abandoned Her Child to A Woman Working for the President and With a Successful Marriage
God manifests Himself in His Own Time. If you do not believe in this statement, then, you must reflect on Kanze Dena’s life: a perfect story of hopelessness at first but God’s manifestation in the end.
Kanze Dena, whose full name is Kellen Beatrice Kanze Dena, is currently the State House Spokesperson and the head of the President’s Strategic Communication Unit, a position she has held since 2018.
Before, she was a news anchor at Citizen TV alongside her friend Lulu Hassan. Her journalistic career started at KBC and it spun for over a decade, making her rise into the limelight.
While Kanze portrayed herself as an ever-smiling girl on TV when reading the news, her life was filled with loss, pain, and anguish.
Mkenya Leo assembled details about her life to show has beaten all odds to be the successful woman she is today.
Family Background
Kanze was born in Kwale County and she is the fourth born of a family of six children. Her mother raised them singlehandedly after she separated from her father. However, Kanze had a good relationship with her father Harry Kitsao Stephens until he met his death in 2018 after struggling with a long terminal illness.
Education Background
Unlike many coastal kids, Kanze went to Kianjakoma Boarding School for her primary education and then proceeded to Kyeni Girls High School in Embu for her secondary education. It was at these schools that she realized her talent in acting, which she says helped her build confidence in her journalistic career.
Ironically, Kanze wanted to do a course dealing with medicine; thus, she tried joining Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). However, God had other plans for her. KMTC denied her request and she was forced to join the Foundation College of Professional Studies where she studied Journalism and Mass Communication.
Humble Beginnings
While Kanze is one of the few journalists with a soaring career, she started very low as a waiter. While preaching at service in Reverend Lucy Natasha’s church, Kanze claimed that she peeled potatoes for chips and washed dishes in a hotel for many years. She said that those years were deemed with hopelessness as she never imagined she would ever emerge successfully.
She started her career at KBC as an intern, a position she held for long until God opened doors for her when she had to present news because that day’s host failed to report to work. The opportunity made the KBC heads realize her talent and she was later given her slot to present news.
Self-Esteem Struggles
The current outspoken Kanze was once a girl who struggled with low self-esteem for long. On numerous occasions, she explained how her fellow students would make fun of her ‘bow legs’, especially when she walked. Drama and books were her only way of gaining acceptance from people. She claimed that her proper command of the Swahili language made her drama performances fun to watch.
Motherhood Struggles
Kanze’s motherhood journey is characterized by betrayal, loss, and, eventually happiness. Mkenya Leo broke down her motherhood journey into segments to help you understand.
First Child
Kanze had her first child when she was very young. In an interview with Jeff and Jalas on the Hot Breakfast show, she revealed that she met the father of her daughter while working as a waitress. However, the man abandoned her after she got pregnant, leaving her to worry about her child on her own. Kanze said her poverty condition could not allow keeping the baby so she decided not to tell her family, especially her mother, about her pregnancy. She wanted to give up the baby for adoption or abandoned her at the hospital.
The delivery day came and things did happen to her expectations. Her mother somehow knew she was giving birth and she came to the hospital on time before she could give up her baby. She agreed to stay with the baby, whom Kanze named Natasha, to allow Kanze to plan herself well.
However, Natasha died three months later in her sleep, and Kanze claims she had never gotten over her death. She still cries when she thinks of her daughter.
Second Child
Kanze’s second child is a son named Amani, who celebrated his 16th birthday recently. After the death of her daughter, Kanze went into depression and she only found solace in the church where she met Amani’s father. The two started a relationship and before she knew it, she was already pregnant.
When the pregnancy was in its early stages, she had an incident that made her believe she had a miscarriage, only for her to realize she was still pregnant when she was seven months along.
Kanze and Amani’s dad dated for while before they broke up. They now co-parent Amani.
Third Child and Marriage
Finally, Kanze got married to the love of her life recently. Her husband is a renowned lawyer called Mararo. Together, they have a son, whom Kanze is yet to show his face to the public.
Weight Gain and Bullying
Kanze gained a lot of weight after the birth of her third child. Netizens pounced on her when she posted her first postpartum picture, bullying her for drastic weight gain.
Luckily, the current Kanze has high self-esteem and does not might what people say about her. Recently she posted a picture of herself that had a caption mocking her bullies.
The caption went, “Of weight monitors and observers rada iko aje? Anyhu..hivi nilivyo ..ndivyo nilivyo …?”
