Meet New TV47 Anchor Who Almost Joined KDF, Failed Interviews In 3 Years

Ruga Eval on Friday, March 29 became the latest entry to Cape Media Limited TV station, TV47 on Friday, March 29, having joined after her stint at Look Up TV which lasted just seven months.

She took to her Facebook page to announce that she joined the fast-growing TV station as a news anchor, editor and reporter.

"Embarking on this new journey fills me with immense joy and gratitude, I hope that we will work together more closely on this journey of airing stories that matter to you. This being a home of untold stories," she wrote.

Eval appreciated her fans and followers for their continued support towards her, and she promised that in turn, she would connect with them through the media platform during her spell at TV47.

Ruga Eval at TV47 studios. /RUGA EVAL

Speaking to Viral Tea, Eval, while commenting on the move, stated "I feel honoured and so honoured to share this news with you too," adding that she is excited to work with Cape Media Limited.

Ruga Eval Profile

She was born in Nanyuki town, Laikipia county and joined Maasai Mara University in 2017 where she graduated in 2021 with a bachelor of communication and journalism.

For the four years and long holidays of her academic journey, she volunteered in many media stations, but during her second year, she joined state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) radio stations KBC Radio Taifa and Coro FM, where she sharpened her skills as a reporter and a news anchor. 

She worked as a sports reporter at Radio Taifa, with her unique voice noticed by Peter Kimeu, a journalist handling the Mwengo wa spoti segment at the time, who nurtured her to where she is today. At KBC, she also met JM Mungai, a news presenter who observed her special capabilities which would lead her to spearhead her show.

In her third year, she joined Mt Kenya TV and Iganjo FM, continuing to serve at the latter during her 4th year in university. She also worked at Sawa TV as a reporter in the year 2021.

"I volunteered at these two stations to garner enough experience," she explained, further appreciating her parents for being pillars in shaping her career as well as her aunt, among other family members.

Post-Graduation

After graduation, she volunteered at Central FM, a community radio station. Her manager, who attended her graduation promised her a job after a month of probation before the station was hit by financial difficulties.

This would lead her to work at National Mirror Media Limited where she signed her first-ever contract, two months after graduating on December 18, 2021. The media company had three stations; Gicicio TV, Gicicio FM and National Mirror TV (which was the last to be launched) and here, she worked as a Laikipia County correspondent.

Eval then received a call to the company's headquarters in Nairobi to work as a news anchor and reporter for Gicicio FM where she anchored news from 5 pm to 10 pm. Meanwhile, National Mirror Media would in 2022 launch another TV station for Swahili and English where she anchored news alongside Emmanuel Terer, formerly of Switch TV (now Switch Media).

"I would do Radio in the morning and move to TV in the evening. I would say that small sacrifice marked a big milestone," she described.

Ruga Eval posing for a photo. /RUGA EVAL

The station would shut down due to financial issues which hurt her trajectory in the media industry and would lead her to consider being recruited into the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). She added, "I almost got into depression, decided to go home to heal and try something else and it was at this point that I thought of KDF." 

However, she rose again and decided to try her luck in Mzalendo TV, sending her demos to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and upon arrival, she found herself doing interviews and meant to do the 7 pm news.

Look Up TV & Beyond

Nine months later, she moved to Look Up TV where she worked for seven months as an anchor, producer and reporter. Eval's most-watched bulletin at the station was viewed 500,000 times with her story Mapinduzi ya serikali Gabon becoming the most-watched at the station with 280,000 views.

She did try her luck at Mediamax Limited but failed in three different years, that is 2018, 2020 and 2021, but that never stopped her from trying.

Eval credits her parents and relatives for their support, stating that every year during Christmas, her relatives would ask her to take photos and give a report on their celebration, a thing which kept her drive in the media industry going.

She also attributes her mentors as the real pillars in her journey and career, from her lecturer who introduced her to the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Kenya Chapter and the Association of Media Women In Kenya (AMWIK) which shaped her behaviour as a member.

She also draws inspiration from the industry's biggest names such as Yvonne Okwara, Mashirima Kapombe, Rashid Abdalla, Lofty Matambo and Anne Kiguta.

Eval revealed that she once contemplated becoming a lawyer first before considering other careers, adding how in high school she was introduced to setbooks that everyone gave her to read, but mostly those in Swahili.

On her challenges, she revealed that people have made comments about her skin colour, saying "We have never seen dark black TV journalists especially women," sentiments that almost destroyed her hopes in the media industry, but positivity made her persevere and ignore the critics. 

In conclusion, Eval believes that the media industry in Kenya can be improved by creating more opportunities and spaces for journalists to thrive and for the students to join right from university to amass experience as well as investors to bolster media companies in the wake of digital disruption.

Ruga Eval at her former workplace, Look Up TV studios. /RUGA EVAL