There's a new housewife in town,
and it's none other than the owner of Samantha Bridal, Dr. Catherine Masitsa.
The fierce, no-nonsense Dr. Catherine (aka The
Queen Mother) will be making her official debut in this week’s episode, the
fifth, which also sees Minne attempt to bring the ladies into her world.
One of Kenya’s movers and
shakers, Dr. Catherine Masitsa is a veterinary doctor, real estate investor and
publisher. She is the founder and managing director of Samantha’s Bridal,
East Africa’s leading wedding media company that has ventured into TV shows,
luxury bridal events and wedding planning.
Recently, Dr. Catherine also
launched a wine brand, Samantha Wines, and is just about to launch her
champagne brand.
She is married to a
neurologist, Dr. Andras Rosza, and together they have one daughter. We sat down
with her to find out what to expect as she makes her debut on The Real
Housewives of Nairobi.
Here is what she had to say about
joining RHONairobi
How excited are you to be part of The Real Housewives of
Nairobi?
I’m very excited to be part of
this show because I’m not very big on social media, and I think that
through The Real Housewives of Nairobi, my fans will get to see the real
me living my fabulous life.
Would you say being on the show has pushed you out of your comfort
zone?
I don’t think so. This is how I
live and I’m just showcasing it. Yes, of course you’ve got to put your best
foot forward but it’s my life. It’s reality. You know you can only pretend for
so long.
You joined the show late. What was it like getting to meet the
other housewives and bonding with them?
It’s been an eye opener
interacting with them, from creating real friendships to friendships being
tested. I had my assumptions about them but the more I interact with them in such
close, intimate spaces, the more I really get to know them – their frailties,
fears, triumphs and personalities, and not what we read about. You get to see
that they’re solid people. Everybody is so real and living their lives.
According to you, what differentiates The Real Housewives of
Nairobi from other African franchises?
It really captures the essence of
Nairobi. Nairobi is a very cosmopolitan city, in the sense that even if you’ve
never physically left this city, you will feel like you have left the city and
traveled the world. If you have money in this city, then you don’t really need
to go anywhere because there’s everything here. This is why people come to
Nairobi and they never leave.
What are viewers going to love about you?
I like to see myself as real; I
don’t know how to pretend.
What’s one word to best describe you on the show?
I’m formidable. I’m a wall; you
can’t get through to me. And I’m a thoroughbred. I put on my blinders and don’t
get distracted with whatever else is going on. I’m just climbing one mountain –
mine - which is the one with the money at the top.
You’re a woman who’s very big on family. How did they react to you
being on the show?
I live for my family, and I work
for my family. I like to say that my daughter is my employer because I work for
her. My husband is very supportive about me being on the show, and if I ask for
anything, he’ll say, “Let’s do it, honey.” And my daughter is a star, and she’s
very happy to appear on the show. The camera loves her and she loves it.
You’re also passionate about female representation, and especially
for women above 45 years. Why is it important to you that women like you are
represented in a show like this?
Being on The Real Housewives
of Nairobi, one of the things I like is the fact that the 45+ year-old woman
that’s me is represented. The thing about this market (the African market) is
that almost everybody caters for the 35-year-old women and below. Just look at
the media, and all the advertising, you’ll hardly see women who are above 45
years represented. I can understand that, since the Kenyan (and African)
demographic is quite young, they’d focus on 35 and below. But I want to say
that the 45+ year-old woman has come of age. We are the people running this
town: we’re owning companies, we’re chairing boards, we’re the people really
running the real estate market, we’re the people who walk into those homes and
buy them, in cash. We’re also the people behind the companies ringing the bell
at the Nairobi Stock Exchange. For me it makes sense that we would have that
kind of a woman represented on a show like this because we want our girls to
see that you can live a fabulous life, you can be fashionable, you can chair
boards and become a CEO, and do these things all at once. The 45+-year-old
woman is worth her value, and in solid gold, and I hope I bring this out
on The Real Housewives of Nairobi.