Smriti Vidyarthi Leaves NTV After 16 Years [VIDEO]

After 16 and a half years, Smriti Vidyarthi has announced that she has left the Nation Media Group (NMG).

Before her prime time news bulletin on Monday, February 10, she took to her social media to express gratitud to the regional media house...and Kenyans as a whole...for truting in her and supporting her.

"Sixteen and a half years of service to the Nation Media Group and to the nation at large. Thank you for trusting me. For now, tune in tonight at 9 pm for my last bulletin on NTV," she wrote.

After the bulletin, the TV station shared a compilation of tributes from her colleagues at NMG who narrated their own experiences of not just working with her but also interacting wiwth her on a personal level. 

Watch the video:

A teary Vidyarthi was then surprised by her colleagues in studio during her very last bulletin. Before tonight's announcement, she worked as a senior anchor and editor at the station.

Vidyarthi has been renowned for her extensive career at NTV, where she served as a senior news anchor and editor. She is the granddaughter of Girdhari Lal Vidyarthi, a pioneer of the free press in Kenya. 

She pursued higher education in the United Kingdom, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Warwick and a Master's Degree in International Broadcast Journalism from City University. 

She began her journalism career at K24 as a news anchor in January 2008. In September of that year, she joined NTV, where she anchored major live events and breaking news, and conducted interviews with prominent figures such as Raila Odinga, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, U2 lead singer Bono, and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt. 

In addition to her role as a news anchor, Vidyarthi produced and hosted NTV Wild Talk, a program dedicated to wildlife conservation and environmental issues. Her work on this show involved raising awareness about wildlife conservation and environmental issues. 

In 2013, Vidyarthi won the Television & News Bulletin Award at the Media Council's Annual Journalism Excellence Awards, recognizing her outstanding contributions to Kenyan media.

Throughout her career, she has been a prominent figure in Kenyan journalism, known for her professionalism and dedication to storytelling.

Her hard-hitting memos targeted at prominent figures in President William Ruto's administration, ranging from Aaron Cheruiyot to Moses Kuria, won her more plaudits from Kenyans owing to their bold nature towards allies of the government among other broader political issues.

Other than anchoring and reporting, Vidyarthi also served as a moderator and master of ceremony for various international organizations. While she has not disclosed her future plans, many in the Kenyan media industry and her audience are eager to see where her next chapter will take her.

Smriti Vidyarthi at NTV studios in this photo taken on February 10, 2025. /SMRITI VIDYARTHI