Joe Kinyua

EARLY LIFE

Joe Kinyua, born Joseph 'Joe' Kinyua Muriuki on January 31, 1984, in Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya, grew up in Nairobi. He attended primary and secondary school in Kasarani. Kinyua developed an interest in the arts during his early primary school days, participating in school plays. He studied accounting at Visions Professional Institute from 2002 to 2006.

CAREER

After graduation, Kinyua worked as an accountant at Aga Khan University Hospital for four years. In 2008, he left accounting to pursue acting full-time, inspired by his high school and college experiences in theater, His first professional role was in a play by a traveling theatre group that year. He debuted on television in Guy Center, followed by a two-year gap before joining the second season of Changes. In 2013, he made his international debut as journalist John Paul Oulu in the Hollywood film The Fifth Estate, which depicted WikiLeaks and was partly shot in Belgium to represent Kibera. He has featured in Kenyan TV series such as How to Find a Husband (2015, as Thomas). His film roles include Noose of Gold (2010, as Doc), Kenyan films like Strata, See Them Blind, Run Honeymooners, Hamsini & High School Reunion, and shorts such as The WhistleBlower (2019), B.O.O.K: Bring Out One Known (2019, as Jay), What's on Your Mind? (2018), Understanding Her (2020, as Calvin),

Kinyua has one award nomination for his role in The Fifth Estate (2013). He has reflected on his acting journey, noting the importance of persistence in auditions and staying calm. In Njoro wa Uba, his character loses a banking job due to a scandal and becomes a taxi driver to support his daughter and cover legal fees