Maureen Kambona: The tiger mum who loves a soft life

She considers herself a proper soccer mum, a momager, and you can tell because her son, who is aiming for the Olympics, is a fish in water, while mum, with fire in her belly, handles the tiny business of being a shark in the [corporate] waters. It’s a dynamic duo iteration that just works.

“You know,” she says, “if I were in the ‘Game of Thrones’, I would be Daenerys Targaryen.” Khaleesi. The Mother of Dragons. Somewhat, it’s hard not to believe her.

What’s it like being Maureen?

It’s being passionate about stuff that I do, giving 100 percent. It’s being as honest as I can be, and it’s being responsible because I have a son, and I also take care of my parents with my siblings, and I also hold a big position in my company.

I am a true friend if I do say so myself. I am grateful for my journey, and I believe God has put me in the space I need to be in. It took time to get to where I am going. And finally, it’s being hopeful and believing in a better tomorrow and a good today.

If I asked your son what his mother does for work, what would he say?

He would say that his mother is a manager and a marketer. She is very creative, disciplined and strict.

What part of motherhood do you struggle with?

Understanding teenagers, he just turned 14. It’s like I am wading in the water and I can’t see land, just light. I know how to swim, which means I know how to mother a boy, but a teenage boy is quite difficult, as I don’t have the commensurate experience.

They are peculiar, and he used to express himself emotionally, but now he is quite closed off, so I have to give him time and space—I can’t nag anymore. I have to relearn who he has become.

What’s your motherhood philosophy?

Do it 100 percent. Your child is an obligation, not a favour. You must give them everything they can to grow, a strong foundation, and continue being consistent and constant. You must lead by example.

What parts of yourself do you see in him?

He is very competitive and a high achiever. I think he is very courageous, and I, too, do things afraid. I think he is quite sharp, I hope that comes from me too [chuckles]. He has weird humour, we like dad jokes, and we are geeky with sci-fi, fantasy, and video games. We are re-watching Star Wars, Star Trek, House of Dragons, Lord of the Rings, which we have read as well…et al. He likes anime too.

You sound excited…did you grow up watching fantasy films?

My younger brother is a nerd’s nerd, and I think I picked up some of the traits. My sister did all sciences too, and we grew up in the Star Wars and Star Trek universes.

What do you miss about your childhood?

The togetherness of my siblings. I am the middle-born of three, my brother is away in Europe, and my sister is a medic and lives in Eastlands. My parents are back in the village, so I miss that togetherness, and not being responsible for bills and rent and whatnot.

Where did you grow up?

BuruBuru and Donholm.

What do you remember about growing up in Eastlands?

We used to have dancing competitions, we loved biking and dufa mpararos, and the different sports we played outside. I remember the togetherness because it was so safe, everyone was everyone’s child—you’d get a good hiding from any parent. Now things are not as safe, so I have to watch my son carefully.

What was your nickname then?

People used to call me “Mo”. But my home name, because I was so small at that time, no I can’t say…haha!

How are you remaining childlike in your life now?

I play video games with my son most of the time. I like Mortal Kombat, it’s gruesome, and I like the carnage. I really do. I like watching cartoons and those old comedies, but I also dance. I can hear an old song, and I’d try and remember the routine we had for it.

Do you have a special ritual that you do just between you and him?

We have a secret handshake, and he is quite a good swimmer. I am a proper athlete, soccer mum.

Before we leave, we sit in the car, we pray and talk about target objectives and dedicate it to God. We are Catholic. Every time before he swims, I will bless him with the sign of the cross, have our secret handshake, and touch my chest, which means, ‘Swim from the heart.’

And on Sundays, it’s just him and me, we will go to church, then wash the car, or we’ll go for breakfast. Every month we go for dinner, and we dress up properly, and I take him to a proper restaurant for a five-course meal—and hey, boys eat, eh? Haha! I hope when he gets a babe, he will know how to treat her.

Why swimming?

Well, we have had swimmers from both his dad’s side and mine. As a philosophy, I think sports help children become resilient, disciplined, and also physically fit. And that idleness, that every time you are bored, you pick up a screen. No.

I tried Ligi Ndogo football, but he didn’t like it because it is a contact sport, and we don’t like getting touched. But he was just a natural swimmer. And he wants to go to the Olympics, and maybe you’ll interview him as an Olympian.

I hope so. You seem like a very intentional mother. Was your experience as a child similar?

Yes. I am grateful to my parents for being intentional in their parenting. They kept us grounded and focused on certain things we must accomplish no matter what, and us being kind to anybody no matter what, and just trying to be honest and fair, and of course being Catholic.

What would you change about how you were raised?

We were quite talented—I could dance, play drums, and play tennis—but when we got to examination age, we were told to drop everything and focus on school. But they let my brother continue with his computer passion, and now he has a PhD in computer engineering, and he’s even written a book on it. But we as women were told to go to school. My son is a top student, but I explore his talents as well—chess and swimming, which he does both competitively, not because I have pushed him, but because he wants to.

But it seems you escaped the straitjacket…

Well, my folks were quite fun; my dad is a funny guy, but he can also be military. He wanted all of us to do all sciences, but I am more like him because I explore my creative side more. After all, I was rebellious, and it worked out, as I got exposed to these spaces.

What do people often misunderstand about you?

That I am a mean. I can be very strict, but I am not mean. People think I am standoffish, especially when they meet me for the first time, but it’s something I try to work on. I am an ambivert—I can be withdrawn in new spaces, simply observing, but it doesn’t make me aloof.

However, I am quite aggressive and I don’t know how to smoothen landings, but I am working on it, especially because of my son. I could see how it comes out as combative.

Wouldn’t you say it was a necessary knife to cut through the corporate bonanza?

It’s more of being strategic than changing. I had a former boss, Fred Murimi, who taught me how to be Zen.

He’d say silence is golden. You can take your time to answer a question. You can drive the same message across in a calm manner, especially when it comes to responding to emails. He also taught me that observation is important, the silence can be enough, as long as you assert yourself even in the silence.

What’s your favourite thing about yourself?

My heart. I am loyal and generous, sometimes to a fault, to the people I love. But with age, I have come to understand that you have to be comfortable for you to help others.

What’s your self-care routine?

Every Sunday afternoon is nap time. I don’t care what is happening where, I have to nap. I love my Saturday walks too, which I go with somebody else as it is no longer as safe as it used to be. On Friday evening, when the week is done, I order my wings, or make them, and I have my drink, and binge on a movie.

What’s something I’d be surprised to learn about you?

I know how to play the drums. But I love Math. It is a thing for me, equations and solutions, and dividing things. I just love it.

What did you truly want from life that never happened?

To own a jet? [chuckles]. I wanted to be a cabin crew chic some time back; I also wanted to live abroad before I started a family. I just wanted to have an adventure in Europe. Life happened, but now you cannot find me having hardships on a trip [chuckles]. I am for soft life; I can’t backpack!

Are you the kind of person who unpacks immediately after a trip or after a few days? Immediately! I land and do it at the door. I have a problem haha! It nags me so bad.

How then are you remaining spontaneous in your life?

I don’t think I am spontaneous. Structure is important to me. I used to be spontaneous, but after I got my child, structure became key for me. When there is peer pressure, I could be spontaneous, but they have to convince me to do it.

What colour is your life now?

Green because this is a year of growth for me, and going into new pastures. I am in a field of green. I just need to eat and produce milk.

How are you different from the person you were 10 years ago?

I am more patient, less short-tempered and more discerning. I am more daring and confident, and gracious to myself. I am wiser and more grateful than I was before.

What’s something difficult you go through that not many people get to see? Uncertainty. I second-guess myself a lot. I am in my mind too much, and I can be quite shy when speaking to people.

What’s your weekend soundtrack?

Let me see my playlist. [goes to playlist]. I am all over the place when it comes to music. When I am driving, I like Sun-El Musician’s Akanamali. I also like some oldies—One More Day by New Edition; I like Ruin by Usher, and if I am working out, I like Humble by Kendrick Lamar. I also like Cake by The Ocean by DNCE. I love Lemon by N.E.R.D and Rihanna. [plays lemon...] You know what, let’s throw in some Midnight Train by Sauti Sol too.

Who do you know that I should know?

Somoina Kimojino. She is the Head of Events for Radio Africa and a proper media mogul. I am headed to meet her; she has a lot of wisdom about the media space. You should also know Kui Kabala, one of my best friends, and also an actress, former radio presenter, emcee, et al. She’s helped me come out of my shell, she is an avid supporter of me.

What’s one question you were prepared to answer today that I haven’t asked?

The three things I hold true… [chuckles]

Go on…One, always have the courage to do the right thing, even when it’s hard. That’s your north.

Two, just like change, learning is inevitable. What you do with it is what matters.

And finally, do it with passion. Otherwise, it’s not worth doing. Living is being passionate. Do everything to your level best—passion is nothing if not the fuel of life.

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