Ajuma Nasanyana has revealed she was raised by a teenage mum.
In an interview with Robert Alai, the celebrated model says it’s the goodwill of a Swedish family that enabled her and her mum to go to school.
“I was born in Lodwar by a teenage mother, she was 15/16. It was difficult making ends meet so we were taken in by a Swedish family working for an NGO.
They took me to a private British school.
When I went back to school my mum also went back to school and she now runs an NGO that helps vulnerable women.”
In the interview, Ajuma also talked about how she never thought she could model as she was a tomboy.
“I used to be a tomboy in school, an athlete, runner, captain in sports. Modelling was a far fetched idea that I could not even think of,” she said.
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Amid the laughter, a few people believed that Ajuma can be a model, and encouraged her to try it.
“I was dark, skinny, kids are making so much fun of me. I believed I was not beautiful.
Light skin was the thing at a time, even in school the boys only dated light skin girls and I was just there. I knew I can’t be a model, I am not beautiful,” Ajuma recalled.
Having an athletic body, Ajuma won the attention of Kipchoge Keino’s coach, who offered to train her in Eldoret.
After a year of training, Ajuma won the 400 metres race and her achievement was published in a newspaper.
That was the genesis of her successful modelling career.
“An agent from Ford models saw me on the newspaper, hunted me down until they found me. We did a fashion shoot and managed to convince me.”
