Mukami Wambora: Meet SJAK Leader Who Runs Mental Health Start-Up
She further noted that she would work closely with her team to transform the lives of sports journalists in the country.
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Former Citizen TV sports journalist, Mukami Wambora added a new milestone to her impressive career in sports media by being elected as treasurer of the Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK).
Wambora survived an intense battle between her and Capital FM’s Alex Isaboke by garnering 35 votes against Isaboke's 28 in the cut-throat elections held at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Saturday, April 15.
The one-time footballer, who happens to be the daughter of former Embu County Governor Martin Wambora, expressed her joy in being elected to SJAK in absentia as she is currently in Dubai.
She further noted that she would work closely with her team to transform the lives of sports journalists in the country.
Portrait of Mukami Wambora. /FACEBOOK.MUKAMI WAMBORA
“I am honoured and proud to have been elected as the Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK) Treasurer yesterday in my absentia. The last three months of campaigning and getting to the ballot were intense (my dad should have warned me) but I’m grateful we made it.
“The hard work begins now as we work to implement our vision to improve the lives of Sports Journalists across the country,” she stated on her Instagram account.
She appreciated the people who entrusted her with the leadership position and vouched for her and her team through relentless campaigns.
“I want to thank everyone who walked with us on this journey and who voted for me and for our Nguvu Mpya team (all of who won),” commented Wambora.
The election to SJAK marks another incredible rise to the top for Wambora, who rose to become one of the most-acclaimed female sports journalists in a field that used to be dominated by men thanks to her five-year stint at Kenya's most-watched TV station.
Career Profile
She is also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with some years of experience in the legal field. She studied law at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom and joined the Kenya School of Law, afterwhich she worked as a Legal Assistant for a local bank on weekdays and during the weekends she used to host and analyse a sports show on Capital FM between 2011 and 2016.
However, she left her legal career in 2016 to venture into sports journalism full-time. Her unwavering passion for one of the most exciting fields in journalism saw her go from strength to strength, from a little-known personality to match up to the likes of Carol Radull, one of the best female sports journalists in the country.
She joined Radio Africa Group in 2016 which had Bamba Sports at the time. Mukami was the pioneer presenter of the 24-hour sports station alongside three other journalists and hosted the Monday Night Football TV Show as well as produced, scripted and anchored Sports Zone News.
After one year, she joined Citizen TV where she exploded into the limelight. In 2018, she was deployed to cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia as well as the 2018 Berlin Marathon where she interviewed Eliud Kipchoge.
She also covered the 2019 INEOS Challenge in Austria where the legendary marathoner became the first human being to run a whole marathon in under two hours. She also covered the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and is well known for her love of Formula One.
She has interviewed global sports personalities such as Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, Brazil legend Ronaldinho and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand among others. Wambora is an ardent Arsenal fan and was in the United Kingdom to cover the business end of the 2021/22 English Premier League season, paying visits to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, Manchester City's Etihad Stadium and Liverpool's Anfield.
A photo of Mukami Wambora in her football kit. /FACEBOOK.MUKAMI WAMBORA
Her life away from the public eye is a thrilling, fun-filled lifestyle that most people don't know of. She has been to various countries around the world from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Kingdom (UK), France and Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
She also established a dominant online presence thanks to her creative videos on social media while marketing for local and multinational companies such as Absa Bank and Multichoice's DSTV.
Apart from ravishingly good looks, she is very good at playing football and has a few skills up her sleeves. In fact, in 2019, she featured as a striker for the female football team at the University of Liverpool.
Wambora also is the co-founder of a mental health start-up, Uko Sawa, an online platform (mobile and web application) that makes counselling more accessible to young people by connecting them to a qualified counsellor in a simple, convenient, secure and cost-effective way.
All its counsellors have undergone an extensive vetting process and are ready to help anyone increase their ability to deal with stress, reduce risks of illness, enjoy overall well-being, resilience, a better quality of life, and nurture positive interactions.
The platform facilitates encrypted counselling sessions online to guarantee your privacy and confidentiality. The on-demand access to affordable mental health therapy is available for young people through their mobile phones or web-enabled devices from anywhere in the country.
Some of the counselling services offered touch on stress, anxiety, depression and relationship issues and are offered to individuals, corporates and learning institutions.
How It Works
Users simply log in to the website ukosawacounselling.co.ke where they fill in their details and what they need help with. They are then required to choose a counsellor from the recommendations provided before beginning their counselling session online.
The startup was listed amongst over 700 others in Kenya for The Startupper of the Year Challenge by French multinational integrated oil and gas company TotalEnergies. She announced on Friday, January 28, 2022, while recalling her battle with depression to the public for the first time.
“In 2017 I was diagnosed with depression. I have never talked about this in public which I think is a big part of the problem, the stigma. I have been on different medications since then but what really changed my life was the counselling, which I began doing consistently in 2020.
“After two years of counselling, my life has shifted for the better; my relationships with my friends and family are much healthier. I am clear with my needs and my boundaries, I am more resilient when tough things happen to me, I am self-aware and the voice that used to speak to me is more compassionate and kind,” she revealed.
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