Janet Mbugua: Not everyone wants marriage or children
By Paulette Mboga, September 28, 2025Media personality Janet Mbugua has said that not everyone desires marriage, children, or traditional milestones such as school, faith, and career, noting that life should not be treated as a one-size-fits-all journey.
Her remarks were made during a recent video, in which she addressed societal expectations and the pressures that often dictate personal choices.
Also watch: Inside the world of Janet Mbugua
Mbugua explained that her reflections began with a controversial statement she encountered — “marriage hubamba mafala” — which loosely translates to “marriage excites fools.”
In a statement on Instagram on Sunday, September 28, 2025, she clarified that while the phrase may sound provocative, it highlights the reality that marriage and related expectations are not for everyone, and individuals should be free to define their own happiness.
She pointed out that society has long placed weight on certain benchmarks, such as completing education, building a career, starting a family, and investing in property.
While these paths can provide stability and fulfilment for many, she emphasised that others may find them unnecessary or even restrictive. According to her, true contentment comes from choosing a path aligned with one’s values, not from conforming to social pressures.
Respecting different choices
Mbugua urged people to learn to “agree to disagree”, arguing that respecting the diversity of life choices is essential for coexistence.
“Not every choice will make sense to everyone, and it doesn’t have to,” she said, saying that disagreement should not be equated with weakness but with an openness to difference.
She added that the tension between traditional expectations and individual freedom often sparks debate, but it should not become a source of division. Instead, it should encourage reflection on how people can embrace different definitions of success and happiness.
Mbugua also highlighted the danger of treating conventional milestones as universal measures of worth, warning that such thinking can marginalise those who pursue unconventional paths.
She encouraged people to shift their focus from judgment to understanding, noting that diversity in personal choices strengthens, rather than weakens, the social fabric.
With many younger people rethinking what stability and fulfilment look like, Mbugua’s perspective adds to a growing narrative that happiness is personal and cannot be standardised.