KTN Anchor's New Look After Shaving 20-Year-Old Dreadlocks [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

KTN News anchor and editor, Zubeida Koome, shaved off her dreadlocks on Thursday, January 5 after having them for nearly two decades.

Taking to her Instagram page, Zubeida narrated the difficult decision she had to endure before shaving off her locs and replacing them with attractive braids, in a video that captured part of the process in a salon.

She explained that she cut off her locs as a lesson she got from the death of her mother, Mama Mary Halima Raibuni who was born on November 24, 1962, and died on November 28, 2022, at the age of 60. She was buried in Ruiri, Meru County.

Collage of KTN News anchor Zubeida Koome before and after shaving her dreadlocks. /INSTAGRAM.ZUBEIDA KOOME

According to Zubeida, at times one should let go of the things one treasures the most, even though it might be tough and might take a while.

“Zub, you can’t be serious, don’t cut your hair. It’s been almost 20 years, and this is how we know you. Well, yes that’s the first reaction I got from the people that knew of the attachment I had with my hair when I finally decided to cut it. It’s in good faith I know, but from this, comes a lesson about life. We are sometimes tempted to hold onto things we value the most and not want to let go,” Zubeida’s post read in part.

She added that she was struggling to recover from the loss of her mother, despite advice from her friends to let her rest in peace. She termed her mother as a pillar in her life, who also shared a birthday with her.

“In this, I see myself, it’s been more than a month since I lost my mum, and I haven’t been able to let go, told myself that she’s still alive, and that’s what I still want to believe. It’s not right, I’ve been told, I should let her rest, I agree, but it’s not easy. I put on a brave face, but the pain I’m in is immense. She was not only my mum, but also my best friend, my confidant, my pillar, my birthday mate, and my everything. I know healing takes time, I won’t rush, I’ll take a day at a time and put my faith in God. My restorer, my redeemer, Abba father. He’ll get me out of this, that I know," she added.

The Standard Media Group (SMG) journalist nonetheless expressed her gratitude to her fans for being with her through this difficult time.

“On behalf of my family, I thank each one of you for standing with us during this difficult time. The pain we are in is so much to bear, but you’ve been our pillar of strength,” the journalist said following her bereavement.

“It has been a tough journey but we are strong-willed because of the generosity, patience, love and support you have offered. We may not be able to thank each one of you personally but we pray that God gives you back tenfold all that you’ve invested in us. God bless you and your families. Much love."

Zubeida once recounted how her mother was a protective woman who worried about her consistently after she relocated to Nairobi from Meru to study and work.

Despite a difficult end to 2022, she had her milestones including moderating the 2022 Nairobi gubernatorial and the deputy presidential debate series, where she went viral for the heated exchange between her and Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja.

Here's a video of her shaving off her dreadlocks:

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A post shared by Zubeidah Kananu Koome (@zkananu)