Over the years, the job industry has been undergoing a revolution where unlike before when careers were based on what one studied, employers are now looking for different qualities and end up hiring persons who may have not necessarily studied the required course.
A good example is in the Kenyan media space where several reputable journalists did not study media. In this article, we outline renowned journalists who studied medical-related courses but ended up in the newsroom:
1. Lofty Matambo
He is arguably one of the best Swahili news anchors and reporters in the country. Matambo currently works at NTV Kenya but has previously worked at KTN TV.
Interestingly, he studied Medical Laboratory Technology and graduated with a Diploma from Kabete National Polytechnic.
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He secured a job at a medical facility but ditched the industry in 2020 when he heard of an opening in the media.
His journey in the media was not easy as he had to volunteer at Radio Maisha for four years. He later landed a role at KTN TV, before making a switch to NTV.
Cognisant of the fact that he was now fully in the media industry, Matambo enrolled and pursued a Communications and Public Relations degree at St Paul's University.
2. Enock Sikolia
The CGTN Africa journalist studied Medical Laboratory Sciences at Kenyatta University and graduated in 2008.
With this degree, he was meant to work in medical institutions, but Sikolia notes that his passion and dream was to be in the media.
According to him, he tried changing his course and seeking an inter-university transfer so that he could pursue journalism in another institution, but that did not materialise.
"It happened in 2004 after they admitted me to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences. I had little or no knowledge at all about this course and I don't remember it being one of the four choices I applied for being a journalist.
"...The university did not offer journalism then. So I was forced to study something I knew nothing about and didn't want for four years," he was quoted.
Determined to be a journalist, he took up roles at Koch FM and his local church. His big breakthrough came in 2012 when he secured an internship at Royal Media Services and later got hired by K24 TV.
He served at K24 for sometime before moving to Nation Media Group where he worked until 2018 when he left for Citizen TV.
In 2021, he left Citizen TV for CGTN Africa where he currently works. In addition to his work at CGTN, Sikolia also produces documentaries and shares them on his YouTube channel dubbed 'Kenyan Historian'.
A collage of Shiksha, Sikolia and Dr Mercy. [Photo:Courtesy]
3. Shiksha Arora
She is arguably one of the most cheerful and bubbly news anchors in the country. Her ability to incorporate dance segments in her news bulletins has endeared her to many.
However, her first degree was in Microbiology and not journalism. Ideally, she should have been working at a medical institution.
Speaking at a past interview, Shiksha divulged that she ventured into the media industry after attending a random audition for a role at East FM.
She served at East FM for sic years before moving to the United kingdom where she pursued a Master's Degree in Broadcast Journalism. While in the UK, she briefly worked at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
On her return to Kenya, she landed a news anchor role at K24 TV, but was let go during a restructuring exercise in 2020.
In 2021, she made a comeback on TV after being hired by Kenya's national broadcaster KBC.
4. Dr. Mercy Korir
She studied Medicine and Surgery and graduated with a degree from the University of Nairobi.
Following her graduation, Dr. Korir landed a job as a medical doctor at the Nairobi Hospital in 2015 and later joined the government as a Liason Officer.
In 2017, she made her debut in the media industry as a health reporter for Standard Media Group. In July 2020, she was promoted to editor in charge of Health and Science content at the media house.
The promotion came at a time when Covid-19 had hit the country and the world at large. She used her skills to help decipher news around the pandemic and made it easier for Kenyans to understand what the virus was all about.
While at Standard, she enrolled and pursued a Master's degree in Communications from the University of Nairobi.
In November 2022, she left Standard and joined AAR Hospital as the new Business Development Manager
