Award-winning Kenyan singer Nikita Kering has opened up about being bullied during her school years, revealing that the experience affected her confidence and eventually made her hide her achievements.
The singer shared the experience while reflecting on her childhood and early passion for music, explaining that the people around her did not always respond positively to her confidence and eagerness to participate in artistic activities.
Kering said the bullying did not only come from fellow students. She also experienced it from teachers who, according to her, did not like the things she was doing.
“I was really bullied in school. I was bullied so much, even by the teachers. They really didn’t like what I was doing, and now is when I have come to realise, waah, kumbe it was jealousy?” she said.
The singer said she struggled to understand the treatment at the time. Instead of seeing her confidence and enthusiasm as positive qualities, she said the reactions from those around her eventually made her question herself.
Talking to Parents,Kering described herself as a confident child who did not hesitate to volunteer for activities at school. She said she enjoyed participating in artistic projects and was always willing to sing, but her enthusiasm sometimes attracted negative reactions from teachers and other people around her.
“Because I was so shamelessly confident, and I think that is something that either I would intimidate people, or they could think huyu ako na kiherehere mingi,” she said.
The phrase kiherehere is commonly used in Kenya to describe someone perceived as overly eager, intrusive or attention-seeking.
For Kering, however, what others interpreted negatively was part of her personality and her willingness to express herself. She said the criticism eventually affected the way she viewed her own confidence and talents.
“So I was really bullied for what I was doing. People didn’t like my confidence,” she said.
The singer’s comments offer a glimpse into the less visible challenges she faced while developing an interest in music.
At the time, Kering said she did not fully understand why people reacted negatively to her. Looking back, she now believes jealousy may have contributed to some of the treatment she experienced. That realisation has also changed the way she interprets those memories as an adult.
Kering said the impact of the experience went beyond her school years. She also said the experience continued to influence her after she completed high school.
“But that bullying made me hide what I was doing a lot. And after high school I never wanted to… school really killed my confidence,” Kering said.
The singer added that she had to rebuild herself after the experience.
“I would hide my achievements. I had to start again,” she said.
Kering has since established herself as one of Kenya’s recognised young music talents, but her latest disclosure shows that professional success did not automatically erase the insecurities created during her school years.
Her account also places greater emphasis on the difference between being confident and being perceived as attention-seeking.
As a child, Kering said she was eager to participate, perform and showcase her abilities. However, repeated negative reactions made her suppress those qualities instead of developing them freely.
The experience eventually forced her to confront the effect that criticism had on her self-esteem.
The singer’s mother, Ann Kering, has also remained an important voice in her journey. In discussing her daughter’s experiences, she encouraged her to use her success to help others rather than feel threatened by their achievements.
She urged her daughter to support and empower other people, emphasising that helping someone else succeed does not diminish one’s own achievements.
