Evelyn Wanjiru Agundabweni (born 6 May 1990) is a Kenyan gospel singer, worship leader, music director, songwriter, entrepreneur and hostess of the annual event 'Praise Atmosphere.' She is also the co-founder of Bwenieve Production. Evelyn is best known for her hit songs, including 'Mungu Mkuu,' 'Celebrate,' 'Na Iwe Maombi,' 'Jehovah Elohim,' 'Waweza,' 'Utukufu,' 'Nikufahamu,' 'Asante,' and 'Tulia' (featuring Vicky Kitonga), among many others. In 2024, she expanded her creative legacy by publishing her first book, The Wait, where she chronicles her inspiring ten-year journey of hope, faith, and God’s perfect timing alongside her husband, Agundabweni Akweyu, as they awaited the blessing of a child.
Evelyn Wanjiru and her husband Agundabweni AkweyuEvelyn Wanjiru Leading Worship at Citam Buruburu
Life and career
Evelyn Wanjiru started her music career at the age of nine, singing in a local church and participating in school music festivals. She is the fourth-born of Helen Muhonja and Crispin Kinyua in a family of five. Born in Nairobi in 1989, she was raised in Nakuru's Freehold Estate, where she attended Saint Mary's Girls Primary and Langalanga Secondary School.
In her early education, she was deeply involved in drama and the school choir, presaging her later success. She later joined Tears Group, Nakuru, for a course in music before further benefiting from the government of Kenya at the 2010 Talent Academy at Kabarak University Nakuru. After early successes in church and school festivals, commercial recognition came when music producer Agundabweni Akweyu discovered her talent. Together they started Bwenieve Productions, a music recording studio. She recorded her first album "Mazingira," which was later re-branded as "Waweza." This album resulted in increased public awareness and accolades, most notably for her songs "Waweza" and "Hossana." “Waweza” was nominated as Worship Song and Wanjiru as New Artist of the Year for the 2012 Groove Awards.
The song "Mazingira" was also selected as the theme song of the Kenyan government's campaign to reclaim Mau Forest in 2010. During the launch of this reforestation project in eastern Mau, the incumbent Prime Minister of Kenya was notably impressed by the song, appointing Wanjiru as the official music ambassador for Mau Forest. Under the auspices of this appointment, Wanjiru began the “Mazingira Bora Afya Bora" campaign for the promotion of good health and a healthy environment.
The title song of her second album "Mungu Mkuu", won the 2015 Groove Awards Album of the Year. The hit song Mungu Mkuu saw Evelyn rise to a higher level of musical stardom, since then she has been consistently releasing songs that are well-received across nations.
From her third album titled "Matendo", the song "Tulia" a collaboration with Vick Kitonga Won 2016 groove awards collaboration of the year, "Nikufahamu" from the same album was nominated for Afrima in the category 'inspiration African female artist of the year 2016' .She won the 2016 Xtreem awards worship song of the year. The Sauti Awards U.S.A 2016 nominated her for East Africa female artist of the year.
In 2017, Evelyn had two groove awards nominations; female artist and "Matendo" as album of the year, she was also nominated for Sauti Awards U.S.A. 2017 female artist of the year and Video of the year (Matendo).
In 2021, Evelyn released her fifth album, Mwanga, which is Swahili for "Light." The Mwanga Album was recorded live before an audience by her own record label, Bwenieve, on August 30, 2021, at The C.U.E.A L.R.C Auditorium. It consists of 12 audio - visual songs. Mwanga Album was released on 24 November exclusively on Boomplay app.
In 2024, Evelyn Wanjiru entered the world of authorship with the publication of her debut book, The Wait. In this inspiring work, Evelyn shares her deeply personal journey of hope, faith, and the beauty of God’s perfect timing. For a decade, Evelyn and her husband, Agundabweni Akweyu, endured the emotional trials of longing for a child. Through seasons of doubt, steadfast faith, and persistent prayer, they learned to trust in God’s promises. Just when hope seemed out of reach, a miraculous blessing changed their lives forever.
Evelyn has toured different countries like the United States of America where she has performed in over ten different states, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Uganda. She has shared the same platforms in ministry alongside renowned singers like Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Michael W. Smith,Nathaniel BasseyChandler Moore, Sinach, Mary Mary, and many more. She has done a collaboration titled "Sawa" with Zimbabwean gospel musician Tembalami the song that is doing very well with a lot of airplay, also she collaborated with Mkhululi Bhebhe on his live recording that was done in JohannesburgSouth Africa the medley "Hakuna Mungu kama wewe" and in Ghana collaborated with gospel singer Celestine Donkor.
On April 7, 2012, Wanjiru married producer Agundabweni Akweyu at Buruburu Baptist Church Nairobi, where her late father-in-law, Rev. Kenneth Akweyu, had served as a senior pastor. Evelyn and her husband Agundabweni remained hopeful through their journey to conceive, and in their tenth year of marriage, they were blessed with their first son, Mshindi Akweyu Agundabweni. He was born on 6 April 2022. Evelyn Wanjiru runs a fashion house named Bwenieve Clothesline, and oversees a mentorship program that has raised more aspiring musicians. Together with her husband, producer Agundabweni Akweyu, they run Bwenieve Production and other businesses.
↑ Female artist of the year E.A, Sauti Awards 2017. "Nominees | Sauti Awards". sautiawards.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑ video of the year, Sauti Awards 2017. "Nominees | Sauti Awards". sautiawards.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved 2017-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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