Chanelle Kittony: Meet Radio Africa Boss' Daughter Picked By Natembeya

Trans Nzoia, governor, George Natembeya made a surprise nomination to the County Executive Committee (CEC); 28-year-old Chanelle Kittony, to the Gender, Youth, Sports and Culture docket.

Kittony and 10 other nominees will be vetted by the Trans Nzoia County Assembly before assuming office.

The ravishingly-beautiful woman is the daughter of Kiprono Kittony, the chairman of both Radio Africa Group and the National Securities Exchange (NSE).

"My beautiful daughter Chanelle turns 21 today. May God grant her health, strength and wisdom," Kiprono wished on January 9, 2015, during his daughter's birthday.

Chanelle Kittony talking on her phone. /KIPRONO KITTONY

Before her nomination, Chanelle held various positions across some of the biggest companies in Kenya. She worked first at Homeboyz Entertainment in 2015 as a Creative Assistant, on internship placement.

She was then an intern at a telecommunications company in 2017 where she specialised in brand experience. 

Chanelle then joined the Radio Africa Group which owns radio stations KISS 100, Homeboyz Radio and Radio Jambo as well as KISS TV and The Star newspaper as well as online entertainment and news platform, Mpasho.

She held two roles at the media house; the Client Service Executive and in charge of events and activations across the city and the country for one year. 

In total, she was at the media house from 2017 to 2021 before she resigned to join Capital Airtime as a Device Manager in March 2020 for two years prior to the nomination by Natembeya.

Chanelle holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from the University of Portsmouth based in England. Not many details are known about her private life.

She is the granddaughter of Zipporah Kittony, the longest-serving chairperson of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake, who also made a mark in advocating for youth and women's rights. She was conferred with the Order of the Grand Warrior in 1998 and the American Biographical Institute Women of the Year Award in 1999.

Kiprono Kittony Profile

Kiprono was the National Chairman of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the premiere business membership organization in Kenya.

He is a well-known personality in business leadership circles in Kenya, having served in several capacities, including being the Chairman of the Media Owners Association, an influential lobby group of Kenyan media.

An active player in the business, he also chairs the following boards; CreditInfo CRB Kenya Limited, AAR Insurance Limited, Mtech Limited and Radio Africa Group, which he co-founded in 2000.

He serves on the Business Advocacy Fund amongst others, and also sits on the advisory council of IFHA (International Fund for Health in Africa), an Amsterdam, Netherlands-based private equity fund, and is one of two representatives in the Global Council of the World Chambers Federation in Paris.

Kiprono studied at the University of Nairobi and the United States International University-Africa (USIU) and has the following degrees; Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), Nairobi; Bachelor of Law (Hons) Nairobi and Global Executive MBA from USIU (in Conjunction with Columbia University)

If appointed, Chanelle could follow in the footsteps of her family members who have established themselves in both Kenyan politics and business.

Kiprono Kittony with President William Ruto. /KIPRONO KITTONY