Kenya boasts a host of talented media personalities who have tried their luck, worked hard and made it across various disciplines.
Over the years, we have witnessed journalists and presenters step outside their domain and venture into music, better yet, some of the songs attracted a national audience.
Nairobileo.co.ke looks at some of the television presenters and journalists that have a stint in music.
Willis Raburu
The Citizen TV journalist and 10 Over 10 show host boasts perhaps one of the most famous Kenyan songs of 2020.
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On August 20, 2020, Raburu released his hit song Kalale featuring local artists including Mejja. The song has garnered 7.7 million views since.
Following the success of the song, Raburu revealed that he will be releasing other songs.
Fridah Mwaka and Lofty Matambo
The Covid-19 pandemic took the entire world through unprecedented times, which saw people across the planet come together and encourage each other through songs, prayer, among other means to spread hope and assurance.
Lofty Matambo and Fridah Mwaka seized the opportunity to inform the general public about the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two composed the song at the NTV newsroom. It was produced by Saint P and themed to offer hope to Kenyans through the trying times occasioned by the pandemic.
"Lofty and I are both Gospel artistes and we thought why not have a corona song. Later in the day, we visited Saint P who owns a studio and shared the idea with him. It was a done deal and we started writing the song," Mwaka told a local daily.
Matambo noted that they sought to educate Kenyans about Covid-19 in through another ode other than reporting.
Anne Ngugi
Ngugi began her career at KTN as a Swahili presenter. She would later move to K24 but was fired while five months pregnant with twins.
She moved on to join British broadcaster BBC.'
The veteran presenter released a song called Nataka Kujua together with her daughter Angel Ngugi. She has gone to release several other songs.]
Dan Mwangi
NTV presenter Dan Mwangi is also a gospel musician and goes by the stage name Number8, the Poet.
Mwangi was part of the gospel rap group Mission Driven where he was a rapper and dancer alongside Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.
He later formed another group the Ministry of Mouth, where he has released a number of projects including Rebuilding which he scripted, directed and edited In 2016.
The group also produced a beatbox cover of urban gospel songs.
Jason Dunford
Jason Dunford is known to many as an Olympic swimmer but little is known of his stint as a journalist with BBC East Africa bureau.
He later quit the British broadcaster and ventured into a career in music where goes by the stage name "Samaki Mkuu" which translates to "Big Fish" and represents his swimming skills.
Dunford partnered with former Mexican preacher Romantico who fuses Reggaeton with urban Kenyan sounds. Together they recorded the song Mbaya.
They have since released other songs including Baila Baila which features legendary Kenyan artist Jua Cali and their other gengetone single, Tiki Tiki.
Willy Lusige
Before joining KTN News as a reporter, Willy Lusige had the hopes of making it as a musician.
He began his musical journey in 2011 and recorded a couple of songs. He later transitioned to managing fellow artists.
Lusige later tried a hand at deejaying but quit due to the low earnings.
"I was a DJ for about four to five years where I did well. I was well known. But apart from that also, I was not getting a lot of benefits. I felt that this was not the best thing that I was doing. I left the music career and ventured into journalism which indeed I'm doing very well," he narrated.
John-Allan Namu
Veteran journalist John-Allan Namu is famed for his prowess in investigative journalism, but little is k known of his musical career.
In a previous interview, renowned artist Muthoni Ndonga popularly known as Muthoni Drummer Queen helped her write her album "The Human Condition".
"I knew John Allan from his days at St Mary's and he is a very good writer. I'm sorry for blowing your cover," she said, revealing that he helped her create some of the songs on the 11-song album.
Tobias Chanji
Journalist Tobias Chanji released the song Why Pay for Love With Hate last year on the same day he proposed to his British fiance' in Mombasa.
In the song, Chanji advises Kenyans to refrain from hurting and being malicious to each other, because we are all human.
