The most Nasra thing about Nasra Nanda is that she can do it all, and so she does. She is CEO of the Kenya Green Building Society and chair of the World Green Building Council Africa.
She swims like an Olympian (literally—she once made the Kenyan Olympic team before being expunged, but that’s a story for later). She rides motorbikes, horses, and can throw—and take—a kick in the ring.
She moves through life with a mix of talents, doing whatever it takes to make all parts of herself come together. “I’ve always felt that the most powerful thing you can be is yourself,” she says.
The hijab, does it not constrain her? “I have been raised to own my space,” she says. She does not apologise for who she is, and would prefer it if you didn’t either.
The third child in a family of four (three girls and a boy), she occupies her space in the way water makes its way through cracks. She craves freedom — the liberty to be, and the freedom to do — and transcends conformity, unless of course, she’s making the world conform to her, rather than the other way around.
“People always say you have to be selfless. If you’re not selfless, you could be selfish. To me, you have to be self-full.”
What’s something fun about you?
I don’t know if it’s fun, but I sing in serious situations or about the things that I'm stressed about. I also do deep-sea diving. I ride bikes.
Motorbikes?
Yeah. So, now I'm having a negotiation with my mother. It's so funny. When she learnt that I know how to operate a motorbike, she said, ‘So you want to be a boda man?’ [chuckles]
When did you start biking?
2021.
What’s the most memorable ride you've had?
To Limuru at 6 am on a Sunday. The city’s asleep, and you leave Nairobi and go into the tea plantations. It’s so green. And you take hot coffee, and then you park the bike, and just enjoy the view. I also liked the cool breeze, when it hits you, it’s really cool.
What were you surprised to learn about biking?
That it’s not as hard as I thought it would be. But it’s also very easy to get hurt, because it’s your body on the line.
What do you think people think when they see you on the bike?
I’m assuming they think you’re probably a rebel. But that's fine. I think as a human being, you have a range. So just because you’re responsible with your work doesn't mean you can’t have fun.
There’s a quote I really like. It’s, ‘Well-behaved women seldom make history.’
It’s having the space to just be yourself, right? And if I feel riding a bike makes me in tune with myself, I will do it. I’ve always felt that the most powerful thing you can be is yourself.
Has anyone ever tried to make you feel like you’re not yourself?
Of course. Growing up, I swam for Kenya. And I was in the Kenya national swimming team, and because of my swimming, I got a scholarship to a British curriculum school, the Coast Academy, which was known for moulding talented athletes, especially swimmers.
Coming from a regular school to a privileged school, I felt that disconnect. And children can be mean.
Did that change your interaction with swimming?
I was an angry young girl. Swimming was my life. I was going to give 110 percent of myself because I thought it was a ticket to a better life. I knew my parents couldn’t afford to take me out of the country, but with swimming, I could get scholarships.
I worked hard, got selected to represent Kenya, then got my scholarship, which was then taken away even before I left my team.
How did you find your way back to deep-sea swimming?
I always loved the water. And in the water, everything is still. So your thoughts are clearer. There’s a sense of quiet within the sea, sheltered from the noise of everyday life. And for whatever reason, I’m like a little sailor, right at the edge of the wooden boats. I love that so much, the swoosh of the waves [chuckles].
You said that swimming, horse riding, sailing, and biking represent freedom to you. What does that freedom mean?
Stillness and being able to be with yourself. But it is also doing whatever you want to do, right? And there’s a freedom in that which allows you to show up better in your routine, in everything. Because if you’re not grounded or happy with yourself, you don’t show up as best as you can.
People always say you have to be selfless. If you’re not selfless, you could be selfish. To me, you have to be self-full.
You’ve come up with your own kaon. I don’t know if it’s my own, but that’s definitely what I like. Self-full in the sense that you’re grounded, not excessive, but grounded in small things. Are you sleeping as well as you can, so that the next day you show up rested? Otherwise, you will be cranky to the rest of the world [chuckles].
Where does one find the time for all these activities?
You have to make time. Some seasons, as I said, are easier than others. I used to be a very active person, but with all these responsibilities, I’m not as active, but I’m finding my way back there.
The thing is, when you have a demanding professional life, what happens is that if you’re not careful, you become the sacrifice, because you are constantly delivering to third parties.
How did you get into horse riding?
I love horses and I think there’s something really graceful about horses. And if I could, I’d probably ride horses all over the place. Have you ever watched Mask of Zorro? Yes, that was me. I always thought I could be a little Zorro or something, maybe not with a ‘Z’ but an ‘N’. Haha!
How often do you ride horses?
Before, I used to do it once every month. Now I have taken a step back, but I do hope to get back to a routine.
What would your friends say is the most Nasra thing about Nasra?
I’m going to ask. But I was one of those people who would wake up and say, ‘Let’s go to Mombasa.’ But I can also be very responsible. There are seasons where I’m like that person who’ll call you and say, ‘where do you want to go? And there are seasons when I am all about the work. I’m not an in-between person, dithering.
This is a potential banana skin question, but as a Muslim woman and being this extroverted, where does that courage for you come from?
Actually, I would say my parents. Islam has a lot of remarkable women — soldiers, businesswomen, and I think culture came in between that for some reason.
My late dad raised us to own our space. I don’t even think it’s an extrovert thing, but about being confident in your own skin. I have realised it’s not just Muslim women, but not many women are told, ‘Do what you want.’ It’s usually what they are not supposed to.
My dad was more about giving you the space to show who you are, as who you are. We were never silenced. But his one fundamental was, do whatever it is you want to do. But you have to be the person who can also bear the consequences or responsibilities of owning who you are.
When you’re not swimming, horse riding, or kickboxing, where else are you likely to be?
At home. I love being at home.
I find that hard to believe.
Haha! I’m either all out or all in. So when I’m having those moments where I’m done with people, I’ll be in my pyjamas at home. I’ve been watching The Conjuring lately. I am catching up with my TV this weekend.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Ice cream. There’s a flavour in Cold Stone called strawberry cheesecake. I love that one [chuckles].
What is the most sustainable habit you have maintained?
Oh, so I always plan my year. I sit with myself at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. And I say to myself, I’m either happy or not happy with where I am. And then I say, ‘what do I want? And I will have a list of things that I want to do for the year.
And then at the end of the year, I ask, ‘did I do it? Did I not do it? Why? I’ve done it every year since I was probably nine years old.
Nasra Nanda is the chair of the World Green Building Council Africa.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
What’s a belief you hold that most people might disagree with?
Hard work doesn’t always pay. Bad things don’t always happen to bad people. Life is not fair. All these three things together mean that I’ve learned to show up and do my best without feeling entitled that my best will equal the results I want. I don’t think life owes you anything.
What tips do you have for surviving adulthood?
Have the humility to know that adulting is about starting from scratch and recreating yourself as many times as possible. The sooner you are humble enough to know that failure is part of the process and failure is redirection, the better for you.
What is your best characteristic and biggest flaw?
Biggest flaw? I’m really hard on myself. The best characteristic is that I think very long-term and very big picture. I will not sweat the small stuff.
What book do you wish you had written?
I’m writing one, actually. Sustainability from the South. I’m now thinking about the publishing options. Do I self-publish? Do I find a publisher? Those are the things that are going through my mind. But the idea is I have to finish everything by February next year.
