Chiki Kuruka, Bien's wife and manager, has opened up about the experience of playing two roles in Bien's life.
In an interview with Kalondu Musyimi, posted on Mpasho's Instagram page, Chiki provides a candid description of challenges she faces in handling what is happening behind the scenes of Bien's "Alusa Continua World Tour" as a manager and as a wife.
Chiki explains the uncertainty she feels when the team is on an away gig, wondering if people will attend Bien's show when overseas.
She compared this to how Kenyan's show up for Bien's shows in Kenya, even with minimal effort, calling it 'beautiful'.
As Bien's manager, Chiki describes the artist selling out the 02 Arena in London in July 2025 as the most rewarding part of the tour.
This was the second time Bien sold out the venue, making history as the first African artist to sell out the arena.
With highs comes the low.
"Outside of Kenya, East Africans are treated the least important,' Chiki stated in relation to the toughest part of the tour.
The manager remarked that they had to constantly prove that Bien is important since East African artists are looked down upon abroad.
"Very often when we arrive, they assume we don't know what we are doing," she added.
"Bien is not just my artist, he is my husband, and I take it very personal when people don't see his magic," Chiki remarked, asserting how she feels when she constantly has to explain Bien's artistry.
As Bien's wife, she explained that they keep their personal life separated from their professional one.
"When we are in public, anything that's private is private," she said.
Chiki also acknowledges Bien's awareness as something that she is proud of. She credits his awareness, which helped the artist avoid being baited into saying something negative in a press conference in Tanzania.
This came following the release of their song 'Nairobi' with Tanzanian artist Marioo, which raised conversations online on who's better. Bien insisted on unity instead of making it a competition with his peers.
As much as Chiki enjoys touring with her husband, she stated that she can not wait until someone else manages Bien's tours in the future. Playing the role of both manager and tour manager, Chiki says, can be draining.
"I don't have any breathing space to be emotionally present, you know. As a manager, that's fine, but as a wife, you want to be able to say well, that was amazing today or today was stressful, but I just don't have the capacity," Chiki remarked
Despite being Bien's manager, Chiki has not abandoned her dance career.
Her dance company runs even when she is away on tour with her husband.
