The daughter of a Kenyan businessman and a paediatrician, Wanuri Kahiu took an interest in art from an early age and decided to become a director at 16. To make this happen, she earned a master’s degree in arts (specialising in film production and direction) at UCLA, a prestigious University in Los Angeles (USA). She then directed four films: the documentary For Our Land (2006), the short film Pumzi (2009) and the feature films From a Whisper (2008) and Rafiki (2018).

Wanuri Kahiu is also a children's author (Rusties, 2016 and The Wooden Camel, 2017).

In each of her films, Wanuri Kahiu engages with powerful social themes. Thus in Pumzi, a work that is part of the Afro-futurist movement, the plot takes place in East Africa, 35 years after a Third World War erupted following a water shortage. The film describes a post-apocalyptic society where communities live exclusively indoors and where urine and sweat are recycled to provide drinking water.

In Rafiki, adapted from the novel Jambula Tree by Monica Arac de Nyeko, Wanuri Kahiu discusses the topic of homosexuality in Africa, through the love story of two Kenyan women.

The documentary For Our Land retraces the life of political and environmental activist Wangari Muta Maathai.

The Kenyan filmmaker has criticized the work of certain NGOs, which exclusively fund films about AIDS and female circumcision, contributing to a negative image of the continent. In contrast, through her work Wanuri Kahiu wants to show the world an optimistic and creative Africa.

Her commitment to changing the image of her continent has earned her many awards: From a Whisper won five awards at the African Movie Academy Awards as well as at the Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival. Pumzi received the Best Short Film Award at the Cannes Independent Film Festival, the City of Venice Award at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated at the Dubai International Film Festival.

In May 2018, Rafiki was selected at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category.