Pierra Makena (born 11 April 1981) is a Kenyan disc jockey, actress and TV personality. She won best supporting actress for her role in 'When Love Comes Around' at the annual
Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards
Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Early years and education
Makena was born on 11 April 1978 in
Meru
Meru may refer to:
Geography Kenya
* Meru, Kenya, town in Meru County in the republic of Kenya
* Meru County, one of Kenya's 47 counties that was created by the 2009 merger of 3 districts:
** Meru Central District
** Meru North District
** Meru S ...
, Kenya. She had her senior high school education at Chogoria Girls High School. She furthered at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication where she studied radio production.
Career
Although Makena began her acting career while in secondary school, she joined the Kenyan film and TV industry in 2005. While in school she performed in several festivals and won awards. Some of the movies she starred in that led to her breakthrough in acting include ''Kisulisuli, Tausi'', ''Tahidi High,'' and ''Changes.''
Her career as a disc jockey began in 2015 when she left Scanad Kenya Limited to help set up One Fm radio station. She is currently one of Kenya's most sought after and highly paid female deejays. She has played at international events in Burundi, Ghana, Nigeria, and America. She's the Founder of the Park and Chill event with most cars in Africa.
In 2025, she starred in the
Showmax
Showmax is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service that launched in South Africa on 19 August 2015.
Its majority owner is MultiChoice, which owns 70% of the Showmax group, while American conglomerate NBCUniversal owns 3 ...
reality show ''
The Mommy Club NBO
''The Mommy Club NBO'' is a 2025 Kenyan reality television series produced by Eugene Mbugua for Showmax. The show is the fifth installment of ''The Mommy Club'' franchise and documents the lives of five Kenyan affluent mothers.
The show is se ...
'' alongside personalities Jackie Matubia, Ofentse, Lynne Njihia and Carey Priscilla.
Personal life
Makena has one daughter.
Filmography
*''Kisulisuli''
*''Tausi (1995–2000) TV Series''
*''When Love Comes Around (2014)''
* ''Changes (2011) TV Series''
* ''Tahidi High''
*
''Disconnect'' (2018 film) as Robin
* ''Just in Time'' (2021) as Njeri
* ''Villains in the Metropolis (2022) as Jullie''
* ''
The Mommy Club NBO
''The Mommy Club NBO'' is a 2025 Kenyan reality television series produced by Eugene Mbugua for Showmax. The show is the fifth installment of ''The Mommy Club'' franchise and documents the lives of five Kenyan affluent mothers.
The show is se ...
''
Awards
* 2014 - She was nominated for the Ghana Movie Awards in the best actress African collaboration category for her role in the movie, ''When Love Comes Around.''
*2015 - She won the Best Supporting Actress at
Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards
Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...
in Los Angeles for her role in a Ghanaian movie titled ‘When Love Comes Around.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makena, Pierra
Living people
1982 births
Kenyan DJs
Kenyan film actresses
People from Meru County
Kenya Institute of Mass Communication alumni