At just 23, Isaac Okoyo has landed a coveted role in Lazizi, the latest Maisha Magic Plus telenovela from celebrated producer Reuben Odanga.
Playing Shaffie, the illegitimate son of Mwaniki Mageria’s character and Jacky Nyaminde’s on-screen child, Okoyo shares the screen with some of Kenya’s most iconic talents.
“Every time Jacky sees me on set, she smiles and says, ‘You look like my son.’ That bond makes our scenes feel so real,” Okoyo says.
From County Stages to National Screens
Okoyo’s journey began in Kisii, where he joined a school drama team that had never made it past the county level. That changed fast. By Form Two, he was crowned Best Actor. “That was the moment I knew, this is it,” he recalls.
He went on to write scripts, perform in Red Flags by Heartstrings Entertainment, and appear in Bwana Chairman and The Canvas before landing Lazizi.
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Beating a Thousand to One
Okoyo auditioned against nearly a thousand hopefuls. But it was his mother’s unwavering belief—and her playful “Multan call” impressions, that kept him going. “She’d pretend to be the producer and say, ‘Okoyo, you’ve gotten the role.’ We’d laugh. Then in June, it actually happened.”
Channelling Chadwick, Guided by Faith
Inspired by his father and the late Chadwick Boseman, Okoyo poured raw emotion into his audition. “I told God I wanted a life-changing opportunity. I wrote it down, prayed, and believed. Manifestation is real; I’m living proof.”
Who Is Shaffie?
“Shaffie loves cooking. He’s outgoing. He does what he believes is right. That’s me,” Okoyo says. “Playing him feels natural; it’s like acting from the inside out.”
Beyond Acting
Off-screen, Okoyo is a spiritual soul with a passion for radio, gospel music, and football. “If I weren’t acting, I’d be hosting a show; radio is my thing.”
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