Always sisters, forever friends

Their graduation from the Catholic University of East Africa in Karen last month was a milestone in the lives of twins Sheila Kageni and Shilla Makena, whose lives have been marked by stiff but friendly competition.

It was a moment of pride for the sisters as they as they marched just a few steps from each other in the queue, thanks to the narrow difference — less than a point — between their final marks. It was not the first time the two have been so close to each other in academic rankings.

Competition between them began in primary school, with each working hard to beat the other in the end-term examinations.

“It is not that one of us was brighter than the other, but we wanted to keep the difference in marks between us narrow because there was some comfort in that,” says Shilla, the bigger of the two who, ironically, is younger.

So when they sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary School Education (KCPE) finals, there was only a two-point difference in their marks. Due to this stiff competition, whenever either of them performed badly in a certain subject, they would both be punished.

“Dad always found a plausible reason to punish us both. For instance, if one of us made a ‘serious’ mistake, he would look for something wrong the other person had done to justify punishing her as well. This curbed jealousy between us and made us feel he was treating us equally, besides encouraging us to work hard,” says Sheila of their father, Moses Naivasha, an engineer.

Meanwhile, their mother, Violet Muthoni, who was a teacher, ensured they were disciplined.

So as they received their Bachelor of Commerce (second class honours) degrees, with family and friends applauding, it was a dream come true for the 23-year-olds, who have had a passion for the subject since their high school days at Kyeni Girls’ High School in Embu.

They both loved commerce but were in different streams, so when one felt her teacher was not as good as the other’s, she simply took advantage of their resemblance to attend her sister’s class.

Major disadvantage

Their fellow students and teachers had a difficult time telling them apart, and teachers had to refer to the class list to tell which of the two they were teaching.

“We would answer to whichever name we were called, which only added to the confusion,” offers Shilla, the more talkative of the two.

But she quickly adds that their resemblance was a major disadvantage when it came to paying for each other’s mistakes. She says a fellow student would give Sheila something, for instance, but would come to demand it back from her.

“Convincing her that I was not the one she had given the item was a problem,” she says.

Given their love for commerce, it is not surprising that they took the same course at university. “It was a foregone conclusion,” Sheila says.

When they joined university as day scholars four years ago, their parents proposed that they move from the family home in Nairobi’s Fedha Estate and rented a two-bedroom house in Lang’ata for them so they could be close to the institution. But they say it took them a while to get used to sleeping in separate rooms.

“Look, we’ve always shared one big bed and taken showers together, so we found it difficult to get used to this new arrangement,” explains Shilla.

Mischievous

Over the years, the sisters have grown very dependent on each other’s company. In primary school, they would land in trouble together because they kept the same company.

“We were very mischievous and whenever a teacher or our parents caught Sheila doing something wrong, they would automatically assume I was also guilty,” Shilla explains.

As a result, their parents asked that they be placed in different classes when they joined Kyeni Girls’ for their secondary level education.

“That was the only time we’ve been separated. Still, there was some consolation in that we shared the same cubicle and locker in the dormitory, where we also slept on adjacent beds,” offers Sheila.

In secondary school, the sisters were active members of the drama and commerce clubs, and also participated in music festivals.

“But Sheila is the sporty type and played volleyball while I would just watch,” offers Shilla.

“Oh yes, she would not come anywhere near a ball but she sure was an enthusiastic cheerleader!” her sister responds.

When it came to dressing, they wanted identical clothes, or else they would fight.

“Our parents knew this and bought us identical clothes or none at all if they couldn’t find the same thing,” explains Sheila.

Dressing alike

And even as adults today, they prefer dressing alike.

“If one of us goes shopping with a friend, she has to keep calling the other to confirm the design specifications, brand and colour, so she ends up wasting a lot of time and money on airtime. As a result, we prefer shopping together,” says Shilla.

However, their individuality is now more obvious because, although they still wear similar clothes, they choose different colours. Sheila says this has helped reduce the attention they draw in public. Nevertheless, they still tend to dress alike, even if they are leaving the house separately.

“Sometimes we bump into each other in town wearing similar clothes. It just happens,” says Sheila, adding that the only notable difference in their dressing is that she prefers high heels while her sister prefers flat shoes.

“I wear shoes with high heels only when it is absolutely necessary, say for a formal occasion. I later give them to her,” acknowledges Shilla.

As with their dress sense, the sisters have a lot in common when it comes to hobbies.

“We enjoy the same kind of movies and listen to the same kind of music. We also enjoy dancing and just talking to each other,” Shilla says. “As a result, we are each other’s best companion.”

So it is not surprising that they share the same circle of friends. As Sheila explains, “When we’re out together, we are likely to be introduced to the same people by our friends.”

Despite their remarkable closeness, as with most siblings, Sheila and Shilla have their differences.

“When we were kids, the name Shilla sounded so nice that I used it up to Standard Three. I had to be forced to accept the name Sheila. I would fight my sister whenever I saw the name written on her books,” Sheila says.

The sisters acknowledge that they still have disagreements, but they quickly resolved them.

“We don’t always agree on issues so we get mad at each other but cool down quickly when we realise we cannot do without each other. That’s why our friends do not bother to intervene in such situations,” Sheila explains.

She adds that whenever she spends long periods away from her sister, she feels a certain emptiness. “I am tempted to call her every 30 minutes or I feel so uncomfortable that I just have to go back to her. She understands me without much explanation and I can tell her just about anything.”

What about relationships? Neither imposes her choice of boyfriend on the other, although they can influence each other’s decision.

“We do consult and listen to each other’s views, but most of the time we seem to think alike and notice the same things,” Shilla offers.

But Sheila is quick to point out that she can, however, influence her younger sister’s decisions on personal matters. “I play a part in many of the decisions she makes because she takes my views seriously,” she explains.

Despite their strong bond, the twins remain distinct individuals with different traits, and they acknowledge as much. “Although we are very sociable, Shilla is more patient. She’s what I call a peace-maker while I get annoyed and fed up very easily,” says Sheila.

Besides, Sheila loves reading novels while Shilla says that she cannot read for leisure. “I find it ironical that someone can relate very intimately with a book while ignoring me when I’m sitting right next to her. “We constantly fight over this,” she reveals.

Their favourite dishes are pilau, mukimo and red meat. But Shilla also enjoys rice and beans and cannot stand chilli while Sheila enjoys Ethiopian cuisine, some of which is really hot. However, she does not take milk or milk products and whenever she suspects a certain dish contains milk, she asks her sister to taste it first and confirm.

The twins, who have a 13-year-old sister, Michelle Mwende, and a 12-year-old brother, George Mutai, say they found it hard to accept their sister after 10 years of enjoying undivided parental attention.

“It was a struggle for us to accept sharing our parents’ attention when Michelle came long,” acknowledges Sheila. And before they could adjust, along came their brother. “Mum and Dad told us they wanted four children. We wondered why since most of our friends came from three-children families. Anyway, before long, we were ‘forgotten,’” she says with a laugh.

But all that is in the past, and the twins have formed alliances with their younger siblings. Shilla is very close to Mwende while Sheila gets along better with George. Says Shilla: “If Michelle is in trouble, I am the person she’s likely to call first while if George is in a similar situation, he will call Sheila immediately.”

The sisters are concerned that people close to them have never given them the chance to be individuals. “They refer to us as “nyinyi (you [plural])” or “wale (them)”, especially when one of us is at fault, Sheila explains. “But if it is something positive, they will single out the person who did it. I don’t understand such people.”

Any secrets? “We don’t have any secrets,” says Sheila, “and our friends know this,” she adds with a laugh. That’s why whenever their friends share a secret with either of them, they invariably add, “Don’t tell anyone else, apart from your sister.”

Sheila has a job with a logistics company while Shilla works with a non-government organisation. But they will always find time to be together after work. They cannot imagine being separated, saying coping would be difficult.

What about marriage? Perhaps that will separate them, they acknowledge, adding that even then, they would be more comfortable living next door to each other. “This might sound outrageous, but it would give us a chance to meet and talk every day. We could never get bored of each other,” Sheila chips in.

mmwololo@nation.co.ke

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