Journalists Citizen TV Poached From Other Media Houses In 2024
With leading innovations translating to growing financial muscle, the media house has ventured into the journalism space in the country and relentlessly poaching talent from its rivals
Marvin Chege 
Amidst tough times shaping the media industry in Kenya this year, Royal Media Services' (RMS) premier TV station, Citizen TV, has been growing from strength to strength, positioning itself as a media entity poised to dominate for years to come.
With leading innovations translating to growing financial muscle, the media house has ventured into the journalism space in the country and relentlessly poaching talent from its rivals to bolster its general news reporting in all aspects.
From anchors to reporters, Citizen TV has offered new ground for media professionals to grow their craft, in a bid to emulate former stars like Victoria Rubadiri who left the TV station this year for stints at international media platforms such as CNN.
Viral Tea takes a look at journalists who joined the country's biggest TV station from other media houses:
Olive Burrows (from NTV)
The void at Citizen TV which was left by Rubadiri was shortly filled by Olive Burrows, an equally talented anchor and reporter. She left Nation Media Group's (NMG) NTV in May 2024, ending her six-year stint with the CBD-based media house.
Burrows made her debut on Saturday, June 1 on the Citizen Weekend show and followed up with a debut on Sunday, June 2 during the Sunday Live show where she is currently paired with acclaimed journalist, Jeff Koinange.
News anchor Olive Burrows at Citizen TV studios. /CITIZEN DIGITAL
She joined NTV in May 2018, having served as a journalist at Capital FM, where she was the only scribe in the whole country to interview former U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to Kenya in 2015. She began her career as a freelance magazine writer during her studies at Daystar University, then joined Capital FM news desk as a reporter where she rose through the ranks to associate editor.
In 2018, she left Capital FM for NTV where she has been presenting the prime time news bulleting and also hosting AM Live show, building a career profile for herself to the point of being courted by rival media houses.
Emmanuel Too (from KTN News)
Too, a promising political and investigative reporter, joined Citizen TV, bidding farewell to KTN News under Standard Group Limited. On Thursday, June 6, he took to his official TikTok account sharing a clip of himself being driven to the Dennis Pritt Road-based media house.
Too worked as a politics and governance reporter for KTN News since he joined the Mombasa-road-based company in August 2019. His exit came days after his story aired on KTN News calling a bluff on President William Ruto's explanation for deciding to hire a luxurious private jet to the United States (US) for his visit as compared to flying commercially with Kenya Airways (KQ), which operates direct flights between the American nation and Kenya.
Ruto argued that the jet presented the cheapest option compared to using commercial means, saying on his X account that "As a responsible steward of public resources and in keeping with my determination for us to live within our means and that I should lead from the front in so doing, the cost was less than travelling on KQ."
Too however carried out a fact-check on the costs associated with both travel methods. Kenya Airways operates direct flights between JFK International Airport in New York and Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), with a flight time of 15 hours.
On requesting a quote from the Kenya Airways website regarding a business-class ticket for the Nairobi-New York leg, he found out that a business-class seat costs approximately Ksh847,000.
When rounded up to Ksh1 million per ticket, the total cost for all seats equivalent to those in President Ruto's Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) was viewed to be Ksh34 million. The BBJ for Ruto's trip had eight VIP seats, eight business seats, and 18 standard seats.
Melita Ole Tenges (from NTV)
Ole Tenges was a top reporter at NTV. In July, he announced his exit from the Nation Media Group after 7 years of service.
In his exit message, he expressed gratitude towards the NTV management and his immediate bosses for the opportunity to work at the Twin Towers along Kimathi Street.
“After an unforgettable 7 years at NTV, I'm embarking on a new journey. Grateful to God for guiding my journalistic path, and to Nation Media Group for the opportunity of a lifetime. Proud of our achievements together.
"Thanks to family, friends, viewers, and news sources for your unwavering support and inspiring stories. With a heart full of gratitude, I embrace what lies ahead. We PRESS-On "Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn'," he said in his exit message.
He made his debut on Citizen TV, stating “Back to where it all started 8 years ago @citizentvkenya. I was warmly welcomed by MD Wachira Waruru and Editorial Director Linus Kaikai. Tuchape Kazi sasa."
Willy Lusige & Odee Francis (from KTN)
Before joining Citizen TV in the new year, Lusige ended his stint at Standard Group Limited in November 2023 where he worked at KTN as a senior news reporter.
He joined the station in 2017 where he was charged with, among other roles, researching and generating ideas for stories and features; and following leads from news agencies and other sources including the police.
"Great people, been 6 years at Standard Media Group as a reporter at KTN News. It is time to say goodbye. Grateful for the amazing colleagues, mentors, and friends I've met along the way. Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose," he posted on X.
On the other hand, Odee worked as an investigations reporter from KTN before he left. He has been recognized for his excellence in journalism by various prestigious awards, such as The Annual Journalism Award in Kenya, where he was the 1st runner-up in the investigative category for 2022-2023, The African Journalist Gender Equality Award, where he was the first male journalist in Africa to win the continental award, beating 400 other African journalists in 2021 and The KUZA Awards, where he was a finalist for the affordable housing and health category under the big 4 Presidential Agendas for 2019-2020.
RMS Editorial Director Linus Kaikai (3rd right) with Emmanuel Too (left), Francis Odee and Willy Lusige. /FILE
Their entry to Citizen TV was made public on June 19, 2024, by Royal Media Services Editorial Director Linus Kaikai. "We are excited to introduce and welcome to our RMS fraternity seasoned reporters Emmanuel Too, Francis Odee, and Willy Lusige. Welcome to Citizen TV Kenya!" Kaikai posted on X.
Jimmy Mbogoh & Jasmine Wambui (from KTN)
The duo joined Citizen TV simultaneously and were posted to its business desk. An internal memo in January which announced their entry read "Team, please extend a warm welcome to Jasmine Wambui and Jimmy Mbogoh. They've joined the business desk and will be instrumental in supporting us across TV, radio, Web, and digital platforms."
Mbogoh joined the Standard Group in November 2022 after stints in the digital media space. He had worked at K24 and Nation Media Group among other media houses. At K24 TV, the scribe served until 2020, when the management received a court order directing it to pay its journalists for breach of contract.
Meanwhile, Wambui is a business reporter at the TV station who worked at KTN for two years and two months. At KTN she was also a multimedia journalist for one year. Before joining Standard Group, she was a news reporter at Citizen TV. She also covered and reported Viusasa News segments.
Wambui was also a news anchor at Shine FM under Daystar University after completing her Degree in Communication and Media Studies from the institution. She took a course in Financial Markets from Yale University for one year.
"I specialize in reporting on energy, infrastructure, and corporate developments across Kenya and the region, delivering authoritative insights that inform legislation, as well as industry conversations and decisions," she states on her LinkedIn profile.
The lead crime journalist had perhaps one of the shortest stints at TV47 as he ditched the station three months after joining. While the reasons behind his short tenure remained unclear at the time he left in June 2024, he instantly bounced back, joining Citizen TV as a crime and investigations editor.
RMS Editorial Director Linus Kaikai on Thursday, July 25 introduced Wallah to the public for the first time, and in his role, he is currently in charge of crime and investigative stories. “Our latest signing; meet the Citizen TV Kenya Crime and Investigations Editor Franklin Wallah. We’ve got you covered,” Kaikai stated on his X account.
Wallah responded by acknowledging Kaikai as his new boss. The announcement came on the same day he turned a year older, to which he stated “Here we go…25th July, also a birthday. Thank you, boss."
A collage of business journalists Jasmine Wambui (left) and Jimmy Mbogoh (right). /JASMINE WAMBUI.JIMMY MBOGOH
Franklin Wallah (from TV47)
Franklin Wallah with Linus Kaikai at Citizen TV Studios on July 25, 2024. /LINUS KAIKAI
