NAIROBI, Kenya — Veteran Kenyan journalist Yvonne Okwara has signed off from Citizen TV, bringing to an end an eight-and-a-half-year stint at the Royal Media Services-owned broadcaster.
Okwara announced her departure during her final edition of The Explainer on Tuesday, October 27, reflecting on a journalism career spanning two decades and expressing gratitude to the colleagues, mentors and viewers who shaped her journey.
In her farewell message, the journalist said she was leaving with the same optimism and passion for journalism and Kenya that she had when she began 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.
Okwara reflected on the breadth of her work, which gave her opportunities to interview presidents, chief executives, world leaders, activists, politicians and ordinary citizens, as well as participate in some of the country’s most consequential public conversations.
“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.”
Her departure marks the end of a significant chapter at Citizen TV, where she became a familiar face through prime-time news bulletins, political interviews and current affairs programmes.
Okwara hints at new chapter
The journalist did not disclose her next professional move but made clear that her departure was not an end to her ambitions.
“So, I am not done building. I am simply moving to build something else,” she said.
She urged journalists and members of the public to continue demanding accountability from those in power, emphasising the role of questioning authority in strengthening public life.
“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.
Her farewell centred on the importance of journalism in giving citizens a voice and scrutinising those entrusted with public responsibility.
Edwin Sifuna pays tribute
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was among those who paid tribute to Okwara following her announcement, recalling that she 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.
Okwara also received tributes from colleagues at Royal Media Services, where her work included presenting The Explainer and contributing to News Gang, the station’s current affairs discussion programme.
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Royal Media Services editorial director Linus Kaikai described her departure as the toughest newsroom exit he had handled in his leadership, saying the industry would miss her.
From KBC to Citizen TV
Okwara began her broadcasting career at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), where she presented a children’s programme.
She later worked in radio and television, including roles at Hot 96, the Nation Media Group and Kenya Television Network (KTN).
She joined Citizen TV in May 2018 after leaving KTN News. During her time at the station, she anchored prime-time bulletins, conducted interviews with political and business leaders and helped audiences understand major national and international developments.
Her work extended beyond daily news presentation. Okwara moderated Kenya’s presidential debates and international panels featuring prominent 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.
As she signed off, Okwara returned to the message that defined her farewell: the need for journalists to keep asking difficult questions and for Kenyans to continue believing in their country’s potential.
Her next chapter remains undisclosed, but her departure closes an important period in Kenyan television journalism.
