Evelyne Okinyi Owala
Evelyne Okinyi Owala is a trail-blazing Kenyan bodybuilder, fitness coach, and wellness entrepreneur who traded spreadsheets for squat racks. After eight years in commercial banking, she entered her first contest in 2016 and rocketed to continental fame by winning both the 2019 Africa Women Bodybuilding Championship in Luanda and the Arnold Classic Africa in Johannesburg. The double victory earned her Kenya’s first IFBB Elite Pro Card, cementing her status as the nation’s foremost female physique athlete.
Competing on the international pro circuit, Owala placed in the top five at the 2022 IFBB World Elite Championships in Spain and, in June 2024, captured gold at the East Africa Grand Prix in Kigali. Away from the stage she founded Eveal Health & Fitness, a Nairobi-based studio and online platform offering strength-training plans, nutrition coaching, and corporate wellness programmes that have served more than 3,000 clients across 15 countries.
An MBA graduate of the University of Nairobi, she is the Kenyan brand ambassador for Ultimate Sports Nutrition (USN) and a Reebok regional partner. Owala runs free weekend boot camps in public parks, mentors aspiring female lifters, and campaigns for drug-free sport through the Kenya Bodybuilding Federation. Her mantra, “strong is beautiful, discipline is freedom”, continues to inspire a new generation to pursue both physical and mental resilience.