Prominent Journalists Who Ditched Newsrooms for Lucrative Government Jobs in 2023

Following the 2022 General Election, a number of prominent journalists quit newsrooms and joined the national government after securing lucrative jobs.

These media practitioners had built successful careers in the Kenyan media industry and were household names.

In this article, Nairobi leo.co.ke looks at some of the top journalists who have left the newsrooms for top government jobs in 2023.

1. Francis Gachuri

The former Citizen TV political affairs editor on March resigned from the Royal Media Services (RMS) after serving the SK Macharia-owned media company for 16 years.

"On September 1, 2007, I joined RMS as a political reporter. 5,660 days later, I announce my exit to take up another national assignment. I am grateful and humbled by the many experiences, lessons, and opportunities I have had in the industry," he said in a meeting.

“I have called this place home, when I came here, I was a young man, who did not even have a family then. All my major milestones have happened while I was here. Now I have two families, my wife and kids and as well as the RMS family that includes my colleagues, our viewers, listeners and readers,” Gachuri said while he bade goodbye.

Gachuri joined the Ministry of Interior and Local Administration as the Spokesperson and Head of

Communication. During his time at RMS, Gachuri was a senior political reporter, editor, News Gang panelist, and news presenter at Inooro TV. He also hosted the Kiririmbi show on Inooro TV.

2. Sophia Wanuna

The former KTN News presenter was on May 5 appointed as the Deputy Director and Head of Directorate of Public Affairs and Corporate Communication at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

This is after she left KTN News after serving the media station for over 11 years and rising to the position of Deputy Managing Editor.

“Judicial Service Commission is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Sophia Wanuna as Deputy Director and Head of Directorate of Public Affairs and Corporate Communication at the JSC. The appointment took effect on 29th April 2023,” a notice by JSC read in part while announcing her appointment.

 Wanuna started her career at KBC in 2008 before moving to K24 in 2010 and then KTN News in 2011.

3. Sam Ogina

The renowned Citizen TV journalist left Royal Media Service (RMS) to Join the Parliamentary Service Commission and is attached to the office of National Assembly Majority Leader.

He was a senior reporter at RMS before his departure. Ogina worked at Kenya Television Network (KTN News) for more than five years before joining Royal Media Services in 2018.

At KTN News, Ogina hosted a political show on which he reviewed the major leadership and development events of the week.

Ogina officially bade goodbye to his colleagues at RMS during a joint farewell party with Francis Gachuri who also left the station on March 2, 2023.

4. Salim Swaleh

The former NTV Journalist was on January 12 appointed as the Director of Communications in the office of Prime Cabinet Secretary.

Swaleh's responsibilities involve establishing and driving a multi-channel communications strategy, preparing and managing all communications material, developing a brand voice, and maintaining brand integrity across all platforms.

Other responsibilities at the Prime Cabinet Secretary’s office include managing media relations and developing contacts with media houses and influencers.

Before landing the job, Swaleh had resigned as the NTV Swahili managing editor to join the Nakuru County government after Governor Susan Kihika named him the ICT, e-Government, and public communication Chief Officer.

The veteran news anchor, who initially worked with Citizen TV, joined NTV in 2018.

5. Emmanuel Juma

The Former NTV managing editor Emmanuel Juma was on 16 August appointed by CS Alfred Mutua

as the head of communications at the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.

However, in a cabinet reshuffle on 4 October, the ministry was moved to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary. CS Mutua was transferred to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.

While on NTV, Juma was famous for his weekly segment "The Bull's Eye," which analyzed political events with a touch of satire.

Juma’s media career spans over two decades which started at KBC. He then joined KTN as a reporter before moving to NTV in 2005.

The renowned journalist was in 2018 let go by NTV due to redundancy and joined Switch TV for six months before he rejoined NTV.