Moses Musyoki Kiema is an actor, comedian, content creator and director. On Kina, he plays the role of Jonah ‘Lefti’ Mwakazi, the firstborn son to the Mwakazi who has constant run-ins with the law. Although deep inside he really loves his family, he is always susceptible to negative influences.

But just who is the man behind his character? Kiema was born on 11 August 1988 in Nairobi, Kenya. Although he was brought up and went to school in the village, his dream inclined towards the arts.

Kiema discovered his acting and storytelling abilities when he was young. He could perform plays, songs and solo verses both in church, primary school and in the high school drama club.

When he completed his secondary education, Kiema enrolled at the Kenya Polytechnic University College and studied architecture. He never forgot about his love for art and after graduating he knew that theatre was the best place to start his acting career.

Although Kiema admits that theatre wasn’t easy, he was privileged to fall under the training and mentorship of renowned stage directors like Gilbert Lukhalia, Bobby Buluma, Antony Rutabingwa, among others.

He toured different parts of the country doing plays and after acquiring enough theatre experience, Kiema quit and looked for TV/film auditions. After many failed auditions, he finally landed a supporting role in the local sitcom called Classmates.

“I gave it my all … the excellence of my performance opened more doors for me,” Kiema remembers. He got roles on both TV and film and eventually landed his role on Kina.

Catch Kiema play Lefti in the telenovela Kina every Monday to Friday at 8:30pm only on DStv 158 and GOtv 2.