I have over a decade of experience in building and creating dope sh* while collaborating with some of the most talented people in the world.
Thayù is an award-winning, reclusive storyteller, cultural strategist and creative technologist, whose work is rooted in social impact and artistic experimentation. Their creativity often begins in fragments—memories, emotions, visuals—and from these, they weave rich, multidimensional narratives that stretch across mediums and defy convention. When words fall short, Thayù lets the art speak: vibrant, textured, and unfiltered.
They move fluidly between formats; comics, games, theatre, film scripts, books, poetry, experimental music, and podcasts—constantly shifting form while staying grounded in story. To date, they have authored sixteen children’s books, three erotic poetry collections, four comics, two photo comics, and two anthologies, all published.
Storytelling, for Thayù, is not just written—it is embodied, sculpted, coded, and animated. Their practice includes filmmaking, game design, and digital art, with one of their most notable projects being a 400-page augmented reality 'festival in a book',the first of its kind. They sculpt with clay, turning raw earth into characters and emotion, and build digital worlds that reflect our own while reimagining what could be.
As an AI innovator and enthusiast, Thayù treats technology as a creative co-pilot—pushing the boundaries of art-making through bold experimentation with emerging tools. Their deep engagement with AI goes beyond play; it’s rooted in a commitment to ethical, inclusive
innovation that amplifies African narratives. This future-facing approach also shapes how they build community—by creating spaces where creativity, culture, and technology intersect.
As the founder of Creatives Garage, Thayù has spent over a decade supporting more than 14,000 creatives in Kenya and beyond, offering a space where artists can thrive, collaborate, and be seen.
Their impact doesn’t stop there. They’ve launched Kalabars, a content platform for storytellers; Baiskeli, a physical store for creatives to sell their crafts; and festivals like Sondeka and Lock-In, which spotlight talent across East Africa. They are also behind the Sondeka Awards, a celebration of homegrown creative excellence, and have created projects like Femmolution, Prosexsive, Sondeka ALT, That Other Place, and Blooms in the Dark—each one expanding the canvas for diverse voices and narratives.
With more than 100 film and documentary credits to their name, Thayù continues to explore new dimensions of storytelling. Their work has landed them on juries and advisory boards, most recently serving as a reviewer for Africalia’s call for cultural project proposals in Kenya.
Though quiet in demeanor, Thayù’s work speaks loudly. They are driven not by applause but by purpose, an insatiable curiosity and a desire to reshape the way we tell stories, build community, and imagine the future. Whether through a lens, a sculpting tool, a digital illustration, or a line of code, Thayù creates worlds that remind us of who we are, who we’ve been, and who we might become.
I believe that art has no boundaries. Every form of expression is interconnected, and I refuse to confine my creativity to a single box.
Thayù has worked with thousands of creatives over the years on various projects and has collaborated with organizations such as Meta, Care International, Goethe Institut, Mozilla, the African Union, In Place of War, Africa No Filter, the British Council, the Canadian Embassy in Kenya, and the Prince Claus Fund. Their works have been nominated for several awards, including the Fak'ugesi Awards (SA), Upinde Awards (KE), She Awards (EA), the Kenya Theatre Awards and the Women in Film Awards (KE). They were also a finalist at the prestigious Criminal Queerness Festival 2025. Thayù work has won multiple awards, including the Prince Claus Seed Award (NL), Zuri Awards (KE), the Google Challenge Impact Award and the National Diversity & Inclusion Awards & Recognition (KE).
Their work has been featured and selected for showcase in various festivals, such as Bside Festival (UK), OpenScreen (LU), LiftOff Global Sessions (UK), and Afrika Film Festival (BE) and publications like Through the Window (NL, TR) Museo (AUT), International Arts Manager (UK) and The Next Renaissance - Culture and Creativity Shaping Europe(EU) and Webtoon Creation Africa (FR). They have also been selected to represent creatives in symposiums such as the International Symposium for Electronic Art and the Social Innovation Exchange.
Thayù is an alumni of the Festival Academy (EU) and Association Marcel Hicter pour la Démocratie culturelle (BE).
They are a member of the Africa Narrative Collective, Association of Women in Development, Creative South, The Oracle Cultural Network (EU) and the Mozilla Alumni Network.
"A jack of all trades
is a master of none,
but oftentimes is better
than a master of one"
In the Blogs
Africa Fashion International - 25 African Creatives to follow in 2025
WIFA - Celebrating women in Film 2025
Hapa Kenya- Vote for your favourite filmmaker
Standard Media- Kenya Theatre Awards winners 2025
The Star Newspaper - Thayu Feature 2024
I am Music Junkie - Blooms in the Dark Play 2024
Mozilla - AI in Kenya 2024
Techweez - AI in Kenya 2024
MSN - AI Bias
Tech-ish - Kenyan Creatives Embrace AI Amid Concerns Over Bias and Intellectual Property 2024
Tuko - 6 Top AI Tools Used in Kenya Amid Concerns of Bias and Job Displacement 2024
The Standard Newspaper - Report: Kenyan creatives embrace AI but wary of its bias and threats 2024
Nation Newspaper - AI double-edged sword in Kenya’s art industry 2024
The Business Daily - New age realities: Why AI is a double-edged sword for Kenyan creatives 2024
Business Now - AI in Kenya
MSME - Facebook and Creatives Garage launch #RealpeopleRealstories to support the Creative industry
Hivos - I am the Chief Mechanic
Mkazi Magazine - Why bipolar doesn't curtail chief mechanics awesome creativity
The East African -Celebrating the region's bold achievers
I am Music Junkie - Hope/currency 2023
Afrocritik - Sondeka Awards 2023
Nairobi Design Week - Sondeka Awards 2023!
In place of war - Liz Kilili, pioneer of Kenya’s creative industry
B-Side Festival - That other place
My Mind my Funk - Art as therapy and therapy for Artists
Kenya Copyright News - Creatives Garage, a hub where artists learn to turn their craft into a source of livelihood
Through the window - In her wake
Prince Claus- Queer expression through literary work
In place or war - women on the frontline
Hapa Kenya - Q&A Monday
Potentash -Heels and Pearls
Capital FM - online video streaming service that tells african stories launched in kenya
Festival Academy -South Korea and Kenya: two kids from the same class
The African Courier - Real people real stories
Business Insights Africa - realpeoplerealstories - a campaign that supports the creative industry
Khusoko - Kalabars
The Nation - Women honoured during Zuri Awards
Kenyabuzz - Femme Evolution
This is Africa - Femmolution, a call for women to rise