Jacky Vike (born September 8, 1987), best known by her stage character name Awinja, is a Kenyan actress, comedian and digital content creator. She rose to national prominence for her portrayal of the house-help "Awinja" in the long-running Kenyan television comedy Papa Shirandula. Vike has also starred in other films, including Nairobi Half Life (2012) and the Netflix comedy Inside Job (2025).
In December 2023, she was awarded with the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya (OGW) by President William Ruto in recognition of her contributions to the Kenyan entertainment industry.
Jacky Vike was born in the Eastleigh neighborhood of Nairob<nowiki/>i, Kenya, as the third child in a family of five siblings. She was raised in Eastleigh, where her mother operated a small business to support the family. Her father died while she was in high school, after which her mother became the sole provider for the household.
Vike began her education at Heshima Road Primary School in Nairobi before transferring to Kegoye High School in Vihiga County, Western Kenya for her secondary education. While in primary and high school, Vike was actively involved in drama festivals, which nurtured her early acting talent.
After completing high school, she initially enrolled in a college to study as an air hostess following her mother's wishes. However, she later left the program to pursue a career in the performing arts. She subsequently attended Media School Africa, where she studied television production.
Vike began her professional acting career in the theater. Encouraged by actor Joel Kennedy Otukho, she joined the Theatrerix-Ensemble, a traveling theater troupe that staged set-book plays in schools across Kenya. She later became a member of Heartstrings Kenya, where she developed her stage presence, improvisation skills and comedic timing.
After facing initial rejections in television and film auditions, Vike's breakthrough came when the late actor and director Charles Bukeko recognized her from a previous audition and cast her in the Citizen TV sitcom Papa Shirandula. She portrayed Awinja, a house-help character whose distinct accent and comedic delivery resonated widely with audiences. The role brought her national recognition and established her as a prominent figure in Kenyan television comedy.
In addition to television, Vike has appeared in several films. In 2012, she played a supporting role in Nairobi Half Life, directed by David "Tosh" Gitonga, which was Kenya's first submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. That same year, she appeared in The Marshal of Finland and its documentary counterpart Operaatio Mannerheim and later featured in It's Us (2013).
She has also expanded into digital content creation, adapting her Awinja persona for online audiences. Through platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, she produces comedic skits and has collaborated with Kenyan comedians including Mammito Eunice and Terence Creative. In addition, she has worked behind the scenes as a creator and producer of digital content, including the web series Disco Matanga.
In 2022, she appeared in the Kenyan film Click Click Bang. She continued working with director Tosh Gitonga on subsequent projects, such as the Netflix crime comedy Inside Job, which premiered globally in June 2025. She was cast alongside Mammito Eunice.
Vike and Alfred Ngachi, a creative director in the media industry, have a son, born in 2017
In addition to her entertainment career, Vike is involved in public engagement and outreach initiatives. She has visited educational institutions to speak to young people about career development and social issues. She was appointed by the Ministry of Health Kenya as a brand ambassador for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), using her public platform to support awareness campaigns.