Njoki Munyi: Bio and Journey into Gospel Music

Njoki Munyi Wandati is a Kenyan music and worship minister, singer, songwriter, recording and performing artist whose most popular hits It Is Finished and Rejesha continue to make waves across the Kenyan Gospel Music Industry and every household.

You might also know her from Hakuna wa Kufanana nawe in which she features her mentor and teacher Pastor Deborah Nyatuka from Calvary Covenant Church.

Through her songs, she hopes to make known to the world the heart of God which she has beheld from her intimacy with God. Most of her are centered around the message of freedom that we have received through salvation.

Njoki Munyi also advocates for unity in the church of Christ. She uses a musical analogy in which each country is a key on its own but together they make a beautiful chord and in the same manner, every country with its various music ministers are essential in the Kingdom of heaven.

Bio

Njoki Munyi was born to and raised in Nyaoro, Kayole. She is the second born in a family of four girls and two parents and her story speaks of the grace of God. She studied in Imara Primary School for her primary school education before proceeding to secondary school, where she got born again in form four and ultimately Multimedia University of Kenya to pursue Mass Communication: Broadcasting.

While this sounds like the natural progression of things, her life wasn’t all rosy growing up. They lived in 2 single rooms as a family of 6 in a neighborhood where crime was the order of the day.

Every so often, she’d lose her friends or neighbours who had been roped into drug peddling or moving firearms for notorious gangs such as Gaza and B3 illegally because that was life as they knew it. While you and I might think different, this was a normal life for Njoki and her siblings until they eventually moved.

When she was in her third year of her undergraduate program, her father asked her to stop studying so that her sisters could get a fair shot at education which meant that she wouldn’t graduate.

She had been attending midweek services at Karura Chapel, so when she saw an advertisement for an internship at Karura Chapel, she applied and got the opportunity despite not being a graduate like most candidates. Because of the demanding nature of her job, she had to move from Kayole.

Yet, this wasn’t a decision that was made in a spur of a moment but was instead a long time coming. Over the years, she had felt the Lord gently nudging her that it was time for a transition. She moved to a bed-sitter in Ruaka to get closer to work, in which she recalls to be a beautiful period of her life.

Life was getting better for Njoki. For one, her new house had an inbuilt shower indoors and water wasn’t as scarce in Ruaka as it was in Kayole and so it became apparent to her that the life that they had become accustomed to was not all there was. There was so much more awaiting her.

After finishing her internship, she got absorbed into the organization where she worked in production and services training for 7 years before she transitioned from Karura Chapel as well.

Here is a quick factsheet on Njoki Munyi:

Journey into Music

Njoki Munyi has been a songbird all her life. She started singing in her formative years as it was intrinsically woven into her and her siblings because both her parents were musicians. She sang in Sunday school but momentarily drew away from the craft in high school to take up dancing instead.  

As a young girl, she struggled with authority in school until she gave her life to Christ in form 4. Back at home, she sang in Calvary Covenant Centre where most people, marveling at her voice, suggested she join the praise and worship team and she did.

In 2013, under the leadership of Pastor Deborah Nyatuka and Pastor Peter Watako, she nurtured her gift and slowly worked her way up. She worked as a BGV (Back Ground Vocalist) for artists such as Mercy Masika, Size 8, Evelyn Wanjiru, Emmy Kosgei, Pitson and Guardian Angel during Groove tours before breaking out as a solo artist and releasing her song Huru in 2018.

Since her debut, her musical journey has been on the rise.

Njoki Munyi & Dunsin

Let’s talk a little bit about the collaboration no one saw coming; Njoki and Dunsin Oyekan. We’ve heard countless times that God honors the desires of our hearts and this is all the proof we needed!

Njoki Munyi joined Ruach Ministries in 2022 and has been serving in the capacity of a worship leader and teacher of music under the leadership of Reverend Julian Kyula. From the get go, she desired to get involved somehow in the proceeding year’s Rhema feast which is a non-denominational gathering organized by Reverend Julian for the purpose of uniting the body of Christ.

Contrary to popular belief, Njoki wasn’t well acquainted with Dunsen’s ministry before 2022. She has heard of him, but that was it. Even then, she was convicted beyond reasonable doubt that their paths would cross and that they would eventually work together.

Her sister, Jacque, joked that they would her song, ‘It is finished’ together to which she replied with a meagre amen which stemmed from past disappointments.

When the opportunity presented itself, she grabbed it. Dunsin was in Kenya for rhema feast where he had been scheduled to minister and he told Njoki that if God willed it, they would minister together. All that sounded lovely but it was the words, “Let his Kingdom come and His will be done,” from Dunsin that gave Njoki the assurance that God had predestined their collaboration.

Wasting no time, she told Dunsin that she had a song called Kingdom Come which she got the previous night as Apostle Kimani was preaching which sparked an interest in Dunsin to do the song with her.

Reverend Julian Kyula invited Njoki, Dunsin and some Tanzanians on stage for prayers as well as the instrumentalists and so Njoki and Dunsin led the thousands of congregants into a session of worship with her song, ‘It is Finished’.

Njoki wrote night before that unforgettable ministration.

Marriage

“I never really fancied marriage until Richard”

Njoki Munyi on marriage

Njoki met her husband Richard in 2018, when he was drumming for Safaricom’s Live Twaweza event where she and Mercy Masika had been invited to perform. They started talking and building a friendship from then on.

In 2019, Njoki recalls being friend-zoned by Richard who was hell-bent on laying a solid foundation of friendship before courting Njoki who was already very interested in Richard. Let’s just say that their year gave then ample time to know one another because they wed shortly after on 13th May, 2022 and have since been living in wedded bliss.

Discography

Before she was catapulted into stardom, Njoki Munyi was serving in her church choir at Calvary Covenant Center in Komarock. Her music teacher and mentor had noticed that she had a knack for singing and as the saying goes, one door did eventually open another and another until she got to where she is today.

She wrote her first song Huru in 2017, right after she decided to go solo. Huru is a cry for freedom from the bondage of sin, a song that most of her listeners have found, resonates with them. The song was, however, not released until March of 2018 and she has been releasing songs since then.

Notably, she has collaborated with her biological sister Jacque Gachiri on the songs Onja and I’m moving Ahead in which Jacque features Njoki which were released in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Sitoki Hapa, released in 2024, was her cry to God, just as Jacob did, that she would not leave His presence until He saw her and changed her situation or turned things around for her.

She has also collaborated with Paul Clement in the songs Simama Nami and Wastahili in which Paul Clement features both Njoki Munyi and Joel Lwaga. Njoki also has numerous collaborations with the Karura Voices band.

Awards & Recognition

There is absolutely no doubt that Njoki Munyi has had a prolific musical career. Even before she got her big break as a breakout artist, she was already making waves as a back ground vocalist. One of her fondest memories from back then was when she sang as a background vocalist for Travis Greene while he was in Kenya.

Not only did this give her an out-of-this world experience by sharing the stage with him while he was ministering, but it also gave her an opportunity to have a sit-down with him in which she sought advice based off of how he wrote his songs and produces them.

Fast forward to her music ministry having blown up, the impact of her ministry continues to humble her. She has received and continues to receive numerous messages from people who testify that her song has healed them from various illnesses including cancer. Atop that, she has received testimonies of people who received freedom just by listening to her song “It is Finished”.

While these are intangible, they undoubtedly go to show that her devotion to ministry continues to bear fruits. We cannot wait to see what more God has in store for her in her musical journey.