She holds a Bachelor of Education (B.ed) from Kenyatta University, M.A. in Linguistics and Ph.d in Kiswahili Studies from the University of Nairobi. She joined the University of Nairobi in 1990, and has been in Administration for the last 12 years as a Chairperson in the Department of Kiswahili and an Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts since 2005. Currently she lectures both undergraduate and post graduate students and supervises M.A. and Ph.D students. Prof. Timammy is also a Kiswahili fiction writer and composer of poems. Her areas of specialization are Kiswahili Language and Literature. She has published a number of short stories in different anthologies. She is also interested in Muslim Women issues.