Yvonne Okwara Announces Exit from Citizen TV

News anchor Yvonne Okwara has announced her exit from Citizen TV, bringing an end to an eight-year stint at the Royal Media Services-owned station.   

Okwara joined Citizen TV in May 2018 after leaving KTN News, returning to Royal Media Services, where she had earlier worked in radio.  

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During her final show on Tuesday, October 27, Okwara revealed that she will be moving to building something else.

She urged viewers to keep asking the right questions and hold people in power to account.

"So, I am not done building. I'm simply moving to build something else. And to you, I urge: keep asking the right questions, keep demanding better, keep holding power to account, and keep believing that this country is worth fighting for," she said in part.

At Citizen TV, she anchored prime-time bulletins, hosted current affairs programmes and covered major political and economic developments. 

Okwara became a familiar face on Citizen TV through programmes including News Gang and The Explainer.

Citizen TV introduced The Explainer as a standalone Tuesday prime-time programme in May 2023 following the departure of Waihiga Mwaura, who left the station for the BBC.

At the time, Royal Media Services Group Editorial Director Linus Kaikai described Okwara as a journalist with a strong record in public-interest reporting.

He said the programme would help audiences understand the implications of news events and how they affect their lives.

"She is a strong accountability-driven journalist with a strong record in public interest reporting. Her show will help audiences understand the news better.

"The Explainer is introduced because we recognize that our audiences want to understand the meaning behind events and the implications of the news events we cover and how they affect their lives," he said.

Beyond her on-screen duties, Okwara was involved in business coverage and editorial work.

In December 2021, Okwara took on the additional responsibility of Business Editor at Citizen TV, a role that placed her in charge of the station’s business desk while she continued anchoring news.

Notably, Okwara’s media career began long before her arrival at Citizen TV.

She has previously worked at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), Nation Media Group, QFM, NTV and KTN News.

She began working in broadcasting at a young age, including presenting a children’s programme at KBC. 

Okwara later gained experience in radio production and television journalism, including producing political talk shows and anchoring NTV’s breakfast programme.

At Nation Media Group, she worked in content production and radio before moving into television news. 

Okwara joined KTN News in November 2012, where she spent more than five years and took on senior editorial responsibilities.

At KTN, she served as a news anchor and held leadership roles that included heading the anchors’ team and working on news strategy and research.