By Eddah Waithaka
In just a few years, Mathew Ngugi has rocketed from university drama clubs to the must-watch lists of Kenyan streaming fans.
With scene-stealing turns in Mo-Faya and Big Girl Small World, and a star-making splash in MTV Shuga Mashariki, the Kenyatta University-trained actor now commands attention as the unfiltered heart of Showmax’s latest hit, Adam to Eve.
But forget the glossy exterior of a rising star. Off-screen, Ngugi confesses he battles nerves, treasures his quiet time, and would rather game than binge movies. “I had to learn how to interact with fans and the press,” admits the self-professed introvert. “To make matters worse, my introverted nature was not helping in any way.”
In Adam to Eve, Ngugi channels his sharp wit and emotional depth into Jackson, the office loudmouth who says what everyone else is thinking.
He crafted the character from a familiar place. “I crafted Jackson in a way that he doesn’t know how to read the room,” Ngugi explains, drawing inspiration from a memorable primary school classmate. “He becomes comically out of touch with reality.”
The role demanded more than just comic relief, and directors Lizz Njagah and Alex Konstantaras gave him the space to explore. “They gave me the liberty to make Jackson my own character,” he says, highlighting the collaborative trust that shaped his performance.
He predicts audiences will latch onto one particular line at an office party: “He’s DJ Bang…gi… DJ Bangi.”Ngugi credits his rapid growth to learning from industry greats, from Nick Mutuma to Reuben Odanga, and now the Adam to Eve ensemble.
“You get to receive different energies from different actors,” he says. “You get to learn diversity.” This learning curve, he insists, has just begun. “The minute you think you have reached your destination, when you look up, there is still more road to cover.”
Fan feedback, especially the vibrant meme-filled reactions to MTV Shuga, fuels his journey. “Feedback is very important because that is one of the sources that lets you know how your audience thinks and feels,” he states. “Without it, you are denied the opportunity to discover the loopholes.”
So, what’s next for the star who dreams of working with Timothée Chalamet? He’s eagerly awaiting MTV Shuga Mashariki Season Two in early 2026.
After a long day on set, he refuels with an Urban Bites snack, and if he could swap characters for a day, he’d choose Eve’s shoes “to know how it feels.”
And the thing fans might be most surprised to learn? “I have a crippled left arm which makes me low-key ambidextrous,” he reveals—a testament to the unique perspective and quiet resilience behind one of Kenya’s most exciting new faces.
Catch Mathew Ngugi as Jackson in ‘Adam to Eve,’ streaming now on Showmax.
