Kenya Hymn Festival 2026: Meet the remarkable women behind the harmonies
Before we knew people’s names, we knew their voices.
There was that lady who somehow never missed a note.
The one who would stand up to lead a hymn, and suddenly the whole congregation sang louder.
She wasn’t the loudest person in church. She was simply the voice everyone trusted to find the melody.
Years later, many of those voices have faded into memory. Others are still carrying the hymn.
It’s that enduring tradition the Kenya Hymn Festival hopes to celebrate this July in Nairobi.
Rather than reinventing beloved hymns, the festival brings them back in the languages that first gave them life.
All ethnic languages, from Gikuyu and Luo to Kamba, Luhya, Kisii, Maasai, Meru, Kalenjin and others.
This creates a space where generations can worship together through songs that have shaped Kenya’s spiritual heritage.
Among the voices leading this year’s celebration are three women whose journeys into music are rooted in faith, service and an enduring love for worship.
Joanne Murugi
Some musicians spend years searching for their calling.
For Joanne Murugi, it began at just three years old.
Her first stage was her mother’s church choir, where a love for sacred music slowly grew into a lifelong ministry.
Today, Joanne serves as a soloist with the Calvary Gardens Praise and Worship Team, combining musical excellence with heartfelt worship.
Away from the microphone, she is a communications and marketing professional with a background in journalism.
She also plays a key role on the marketing team behind the Kenya Hymn Festival, helping introduce a new generation to the beauty of hymn singing.
Naomi Bitange
Some people design garments.
Others create moments people never forget.
Naomi Bitange has found a way to do both.
The Nairobi-based fashion designer and stylist is also a passionate alto singer with the Calvary Gardens Seventh-day Adventist Church Praise and Worship Team.
For Naomi, worship and fashion are driven by the same purpose – to inspire, uplift and leave people feeling transformed.
Whether she’s creating elegant designs or lifting her voice in song, authenticity remains at the heart of everything she does.
Emily Njane
Not every great voice leads from the front. Some make every other voice sound better.
That’s the quiet gift Emily Njane brings to worship.
As an alto vocalist with the Calvary Gardens Worship Team and a singer at this year’s Kenya Hymn Festival, Emily has dedicated herself to sacred and choral music.
She believes worship is less about performance and more about creating moments where people encounter God.
Her steady harmonies may not always take centre stage, but they’re often what give every hymn its warmth and fullness.
The Nairobi hymn festival
On Sunday, July 19, Joanne Murugi, Naomi Bitange and Emily Njane will join fellow musicians and vocalists at Shree Sthanakvasi Jain Sangh (Shree Chandaria Jain Social Group), Loresho, for this year’s Kenya Hymn Festival.
Across two worship sessions, they’ll revisit cherished Christian hymns in English and Kenya’s local languages.
These are the same songs that have echoed through churches, school chapels and family gatherings for generations.
Some songs entertain us for a season.
Hymns stay with us for a lifetime.
If there’s one you still find yourself humming years after leaving the church pews, chances are you’ll hear it again at the Kenya Hymn Festival.
The festival takes place on Sunday, July 19, with afternoon and evening sessions.
Tickets start at Ksh500 for children and Ksh1,200 for regular admission, alongside VIP, couple and group packages, available through the festival’s official booking platform.
Get your hymn festival tickets now at https://mookh.com/event/kenya-hymn-festival/