There are people who love being outside: fresh air, birds singing, the sun on their skin and perhaps, the site of wild animals. While the idea of being less than ten feet from a leopard or a lion may not excite some, it gives Caroline Muchekehu a rush.
Every month Caroline takes time out of her busy schedule to go on a safari. She plans her trips well and always sets her destination to the best places to see and capture birds and wildlife. She ponders on the thought of her younger self, a young girl who, unlike most children her age, enjoyed reading books about birds and different wildlife species. When she was ten, she approached her parents, in the innocent way children do, and specifically requested for a bird book for Christmas. Her parents didn’t disappoint, and we are almost certain that that was one of her best gifts because she still has it to date.
Acquiring the book gave young Caroline insight on different birds; from species to wing types to feather colours, she was soon able to identify any she came across with ease.
In secondary school at St. Andrews School Turi, she had become a regular viewer of the National Geographic Channel and wanted to be the kind of journalist that explored the various jungles and forests around the world. The school principal, keen on giving the students career advice, suggested she consider studying photojournalism in University. Caroline took to researching on aspects relating to photojournalism, but the job didn’t quite tickle her fancy. She explored other avenues.
Caroline moved to Ohio in her late teens and enrolled at The College of Wooster, a Liberal Arts University, where she majored in English Literature. When she graduated, she immediately landed a job as a secretary for a Human Resources Director in Atlanta. Her entry-level experience opened her mind to a possibility in HR, which she eventually pursued. All the while, her interest remained fixed on wildlife and landscape, but she was only able to use her phone camera to capture the various aspects of nature around her.
After a few years working in the US, the nostalgia kicked in. In 2010 Caroline packed her bags and headed to the airport, but before her departure she momentarily purchased a simple DSLR camera. She didn’t know it then, but that camera would be the start of her life as a part-time photographer.
Sure enough, the camera came in handy and produced much better images than her phone. Soon after her arrival in Nairobi, Caroline landed a job as the head of HR for JamboJet. She had set up a home in Nairobi’s Langata area she started carrying her camera with her. Living in Langata and working on Mombasa Road meant she had two options: to endure the Langata Road-Nairobi West traffic or take a shortcut and drive through the National Park. The latter seemed more to her taste. She would leave the house early, her camera seated beside her in her car and drive slowly through the park, capturing the sunrise or any animal she would spot on her route. The same routine would follow in the evening, and her days would be satisfied by these little escapades. She vividly recalls a time driving through the park last September. Something leaped past her vehicle. Caroline drove slower and stopped by the thicket where the animal had possibly landed. Her window, rolled down gave her a clear view of the leopard barely 30 meters away from her. Caroline briskly grabbed her camera, snapped three shots of the leopard before the big cat disappeared among the trees.
In mid-July 2019, Caroline had a wildlife exhibition that featured images of big cats from Kenya and India. She has emerged as a photographer and now balances her current role as an independent human resources consultant and a wildlife and landscape photographer.
At Paukwa, we appreciate the people who follow their passions and balance life that would normally seem hectic. Caroline Muchekehu is an artist to look out for, and maybe one to give tips on the best places to go on safari.
