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I don’t blame myself for Sailors’ downfall – Mwalimu Rachel

By Sinda Matiko November 5th, 2024 2 min read

Her parents gave her the name Rachel Muthoni, but the world knows her as Mwalimu Rachel.  A radio presenter, an emcee, a talent manager, and sometimes a controversial figure. Here are a few things you might want to know about the mother of one.

 

Most people don’t seem to realize that I have been in the entertainment industry for 18 years. My journey and growth have been gradual since starting as a radio intern at Ghetto Radio while still on campus.

I’m Coastarian. I was born and raised in Mombasa where we lived for 13 years before my father relocated our family to our rural home in Embu.

You may want to call me bougie and that’s fine. I love the soft things that life offers and there is nothing wrong with that. But again there isn’t an environment I can’t survive in. I adapt very well to changes.

Should exes remain friends? That depends on the circumstances that led to your split. Because certain exes are toxic.

Leaving Homeboyz radio after seven years, a place where I made a name for myself, for NRG radio was the hardest decision I ever made. I literary broke down because I had become so attached to the audience and colleagues. My boss John Rabar didn’t want to let me go but he understood the assignment and sent me out with so much love.

I love reading books especially those on self-growth and development. Two books that changed my view on career life are Who Moved My Cheese and Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office by Lois Frankel. It speaks on the mistakes women make that sabotage their careers.

Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office helped me understand why you don’t need to be nice. Be kind but don’t be nice.

I have come to own the story where I was accused of exploiting Gengetone artists The Sailors when I managed them because it’s a part of my life whether I like it or not.
In hindsight, there was no way I was going to avoid it (the scandal) because, in mentorship, you mentor regardless. If it wasn’t for the Sailors I was mentoring it would have been another group and the outcome may have been similar.

I say so because there are mistakes I made while managing them and I own up to that. One of those was that I wasn’t keen on having contracts that were clear and stipulated each of our roles. We both assumed and made assumptions on many decisions.

I don’t blame myself for the Sailors’ downfall but I wish they had listened to me a little bit more regardless of everything that transpired between us. If anything I wasn’t the only one good enough to manage them.

 

Would I reconsider managing them again? At the moment, no, it’s been many years (since our fallout) and my mind is on other things. I am now more into mentoring young girls in High school