Over the past couple of months, Nairobileo.co.ke has revealed to the public the "grass to grace" stories of some of the most celebrated media personalities, politicians and leaders of industry in the country.
In this segment, we take a look at the rise of award-winning NTV journalist and News Anchor Edmond Nyabola.
In a quickfire interview with NTV in 2020, the Siaya-born journalist narrated how he traversed challenges in his life to become an anchor at one of Africa's largest television stations.
File image of Edmond Nyabola. |Photo| Courtesy|
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He is the firstborn of three and was raised by a single mother in Siaya after their father died when he was just eight years old.
Nyabola revealed that he visited Nairobi for the first time when he was selected to join the University of Nairobi in 2009.
"Being raised by a single parent in a village set up where you don't always get what you want, shaped me up in a very huge way. We didn't have much, it was basically a struggle but am grateful that I got here," Nyabola narrated.
During the interview, he revealed that most people often mistake him for someone who grew up in the leafy suburbs of some of Nairobi's most posh estates, however, that is not the case.
As a student at UoN, Nyabola was forced to work menial jobs to raise schools fees and pocket money.
"Some think I am a rich kid, no. At some point, I had to work as a shoe shinner to pay my school fees at the University of Nairobi," Nyabola recalled.
"For three months I woke up at 5.00 a.m. and go to archives and shine shoes," he added.
He was selected to UoN to pursue a bachelor of arts degree, and later specialised in communication when he got to Third Year.
"Not to say I set out to be a journalist, I did not, but life changes you like that," he stated.
His journey in the media began when Nation Media Group (NMG), through a programme called Media Lab, approached the university for interns.
The media house wanted just eight students but Nyabola was taken in as an extra.
"I worked as a sports reporter, and later an anchor, before finally switching to NTV," he recounted.
File image of Edmond Nyabola(right). |Photo| Courtesy|
Nayabola stated that his knowledge of self and ethics were key to his success in the media, especially for someone who didn't study journalism.
"Anchoring is more than just standing there and reading news. It requires more of physical presence, emotional presence, consecration, focus, and of course ethics.
"You have to calm and collect yourself before that camera when the time comes for you to deliberately put out what you are supposed to, with the guidelines you are supposed to follow, and several other issues around it," he stated.
Nyabola pointed out that research is key to one's presentation, noting that an anchor needs to have a full understanding of the topic.
During the interview, he recounted a time a rather unexpected thing happened while he presented news.
"There is a day I had this issue, I had grown a little fat. I went on air and buttoned my coat. All of a sudden, my button popped and I could feel it, just as I was in the middle of my intro," Nyabola narrated.
"You could hear it roll away, and then when they came back to me after the story, my jacket was open. Someone tweeted saying Edmond's jacket can now breathe," he recalled.
Over the years he has grown to become a reputable journalist, scooping awards in various categories.
He was feted the Sports Reporting Award during the 2016 AJEA Awards, and the Devolution Reporting Award during the 2019 AJEA Awards.
