These are the journalists in Kenya who have braved the odds and nobody should be surprised when they achieve so much.
John Allan Namu
He won the CNN Multichoice African Journalist Award in 2009. He was recruited by KTN (Kenya Television Network) after his graduation from USIU (united States International University). He was most influential when it came to the highlighting of the 2007/2008 post-election violence in Kenya. He is a courageous journalist who has done amazing coverage that exposed corruption in high echelons of power, terrorism and also drug trafficking.
Caroline Mutuku
She is a Kiss 100 presenter for the show Big Breakfast. Caroline Mutuku is a controversial radio presenter who has rubbed shoulders even with the elite in govverment, eg Nairobi senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko.She is a personality who doesn’t mind dating controversy and is among the best paid presenters in Kenya. She is featured by CNN in “From Famous Daughters and What I loved from my mum”
Jeff Koinange
Jeff Koinange is one amazing media personality. With more than two hundred thousand followers on twitter in Kenya alone, Jeff is a big name. He won the Emmy awards for covering civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. He is the epitome of media professionalism. He has hosted many shows on Kenyan television eg Capital Talk on K24 and Jeff Koinange Live on KTN.
Maina Kageni
Maina Kageni is arguably the “bad boy” of the Kenyan radio, Classic 105. All sorts of speculations and rumors run across about his breakfast show on the radio station Classic 105. However, the breakfast show remains the most talked in shows on Kenyan Radio,
Sophie Ikenye
She once worked as a News Anchor for Nation Television (NTV). She was however unfortunately fired, together with Tom Mboya, a co-anchor for alleged indiscipline. That setback however did the least to prevent Sophie from scaling the heights. She hosts the program, Focus on Africa BBC, where students in the BBC journalism school highly regard her as a mentor.
Zain Verjee
Zain Verjee was once a Kenya Television Network media personality. She however left KTN for CNN and she has never been disappointed since then. The grass is much greener in CNN- Zain has been a host and co-host of severalprogrammes in CNN, and is the author of “Live On Air”, a children’s book.
Mohammed Ali
Mohammed Ali is not a new name in Kenyan households. He is an investigative journalist who works with John Allan Namu. He has risked his life many times to bring the most revolutionary news. Because of this, he has rubbed governments the wrong way and his name has raised red flags in both Kenyan and International airports. Mohammed Ali has won the award Reporter of the Year Television Award and Journalist of the Year Award in 2009.
Julie Gichuru
Julie Gichuru is a born Kenyan. She is the media personality who oozes charisma, beauty and class; she worked on a radio station prior to joining the television industry. Once on television, she has worked with KTN, NTV and currently works for Citizen TV and hosts Sunday Live with the Who Owns Kenya section. Julie Gichuru has won the Martin Luther King Salute to Greatness Award.
Johnson Mwakazi
Johnson Mwakazi is the most interesting of these media personalities. Born in Kibera slums and raised there, he is probably the only journalist in Kenya who has landed on a prestigious position on a big TV station, without any training whatsoever in journalism. He is a great linguist, a poet and a musician. He currently works for Citizen Television and hosts the show “Power Breakfast”
Patrick Mahinge
He is quite unheard of, unlike the popularity of his counterparts.he is a freelance writer, a blogger and an internet enterpreneur. Patrick also teaches internet marketing during his free time.