Yvonne Okwara leaves Citizen TV, set to join Shuga Global

Veteran Kenyan journalist Yvonne Okwara has left Citizen TV after eight years at the Royal Media Services-owned station, bringing to an end a chapter in a media career spanning two decades.

Okwara signed off during her final broadcast on Tuesday, October 27, reflecting on her journey in journalism and reaffirming her commitment to public accountability and Kenya’s future.

Her departure comes with reports that she is set to join Shuga Global, formerly known as the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, as Head of Government Relations for East Africa.

The appointment was disclosed publicly by Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy.

In her farewell message, Okwara said she was leaving with the same enthusiasm and optimism she had when she entered the profession, despite the challenges and difficult conversations that had defined her career.

“When I walked through these doors 20 years ago, I was young, fresh out of university with a microbiology degree, some television experience from my youth, but teeming with vibrancy, optimism for this great craft of journalism and for this country. I still feel the same way,” she said.

The journalist reflected on interviewing presidents, business executives, world leaders, activists, politicians and ordinary citizens, saying her work had exposed her to some of the country’s most consequential public debates.

“I've spent two decades asking questions. Sometimes the answers have inspired us. Sometimes they have angered us. Sometimes they have disappointed us,” she said.

“But I've always believed that asking the question matters. That holding power to account matters. That giving ordinary people a voice matters.”

Okwara studied microbiology at university before pursuing a career in broadcasting. Her early media experience included hosting a children's programme at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).

She later worked at Hot 96 FM before joining the Nation Media Group through QFM and QTV, and subsequently moved to Kenya Television Network (KTN), where she built her profile as a television journalist.

She joined Citizen TV in May 2018 after leaving KTN News, becoming a familiar face through prime-time news bulletins, current affairs programmes and business reporting.

Her work also included The Explainer and the News Gang, where journalists examined political developments and other issues affecting the country.

Beyond daily broadcasting, Okwara has moderated Kenya's presidential debates and local and international forums involving prominent political, business and development figures, including Melinda French Gates, former US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, former World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and former African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka.

She is also a Bloomberg Africa Leadership Initiative Media Fellow. Her career has combined news presentation, political interviews, business journalism and public affairs discussions.

Okwara suggested that her departure was not an end to her ambitions, but an opportunity to pursue a different undertaking.

“So, I am not done building. I am simply moving to build something else,” she said.

Her reported move to Shuga Global would take her into government relations, drawing on her experience engaging public officials, business leaders and other influential figures through journalism.

The organisation, previously known as the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, is associated with youth-focused storytelling and initiatives addressing HIV, sexual and reproductive health and related social issues.

Her exit prompted tributes from political leaders and viewers who followed her work. Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna recalled that Okwara gave him his first television appearance more than 13 years ago.

“Wishing you all the best in your next chapter, Yvonne Okwara. I really loved our little talks on the Explainer. You are one of the best to ever do it. I won’t forget you gave me my first appearance on TV over 13 years ago. Forever grateful, God bless!” Sifuna said.

As she closed her chapter at Citizen TV, Okwara urged journalists and Kenyans to continue questioning authority and demanding accountability.

“Keep asking the right questions. Keep demanding better. Keep holding power to account. Keep believing that this country is worth fighting for. Because it is. And it must be,” she said.

She described her years in journalism as an honour, maintaining that her belief in Kenya and the role of journalism in shaping its future remained unchanged.