Veteran Kenyan journalist Yvonne Okwara has announced her departure from Citizen TV, bringing her eight-year stint at the Royal Media Services-owned station to an end as she reflects on a career spanning two decades.
In her farewell message, Okwara looked back on a professional journey that has taken her from children’s television programming to some of Kenya’s most consequential political, economic and public-interest conversations.
Her departure marks a new chapter for a journalist whose work has been defined by incisive questioning, public accountability and a commitment to ensuring that powerful institutions answer for their decisions.
“When I walked through these doors 20 years ago, I was young, fresh out of university with a microbiology degree, some television experience from my youth, but teeming with vibrancy, optimism for this great craft of journalism and for this country. I still feel the same way,” she said.
Despite leaving Citizen TV, Okwara made it clear that her commitment to journalism and public service remains intact.
“So, I am not done building. I am simply moving to build something else,” she said, signalling a transition without disclosing further details about her next venture.
From Children’s Television to National Journalism
Okwara’s journey in broadcasting began at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), where she hosted a children’s programme. Her early experience in television laid the foundation for a career that would eventually place her among Kenya’s prominent broadcast journalists.
She subsequently worked at Hot 96 FM before moving to Nation Media Group through QFM and QTV. She later joined Kenya Television Network (KTN), building her experience across radio and television before moving to Citizen TV.
Across these platforms, Okwara developed a reputation for engaging with difficult questions and examining issues affecting Kenya’s political, economic and social landscape.
Her career has reflected the evolution of Kenyan journalism, with broadcasters increasingly expected to do more than deliver news. They must interrogate public policy, explain complex developments and create space for meaningful public debate.
Asking Questions That Hold Power Accountable
Reflecting on her 20 years in the profession, Okwara described journalism as a responsibility that extends beyond reporting events.
“I’ve spent two decades asking questions. Sometimes the answers have inspired us. Sometimes they have angered us. Sometimes they have disappointed us,” she said.
“But I’ve always believed that asking the question matters. That holding power to account matters. That giving ordinary people a voice matters.”
The statement captures the principles that have underpinned her career: scrutiny of those in positions of authority, accountability in public life and representation of citizens whose experiences might otherwise be overlooked.
Her work has also extended beyond daily news coverage to high-profile interviews and international discussions involving political leaders, business executives, development experts and civil society figures.
Among the prominent personalities she has engaged with are Melinda French Gates, former United States Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and former African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka.
These engagements have placed her at the intersection of journalism, governance, international development and economic policy.
A Voice in Kenya’s Presidential Debates
Okwara’s influence has extended into some of Kenya’s most closely watched political events.
She has moderated Kenya’s presidential debates, providing a platform for candidates to address questions about leadership, governance and national priorities.
She is also a Bloomberg Africa Leadership Initiative Media Fellow, reflecting her engagement with journalism covering leadership and the continent’s economic and political development.
Her experience moderating high-level discussions has demonstrated the role journalists can play in shaping public understanding of complex issues and pressing leaders to explain their positions.
For women in the media industry, her career offers an example of a professional who has built experience across broadcasting, political interviews, public debate and international forums.
Her journey also highlights the importance of developing expertise, maintaining credibility and creating opportunities to participate in conversations that influence public life.
Tributes as She Begins a New Chapter
Following her announcement, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna paid tribute to Okwara, recalling that she had given him his first television appearance more than 13 years ago.
“Wishing you all the best in your next chapter, Yvonne Okwara. I really loved our little talks on the Explainer. You are one of the best to ever do it,” Sifuna said.
He added that he remained grateful for the opportunity she had given him early in his public life.
The tribute reflected the influence broadcasters can have beyond their immediate audiences, including their role in giving public figures, emerging voices and citizens opportunities to contribute to national conversations.
What Her Departure Represents for Women
Okwara’s departure provides an opportunity to reflect on the place of women in journalism, particularly in leadership, political reporting and public-interest broadcasting.
Women journalists continue to work in an environment where professional credibility, visibility and access to influential decision-makers are essential to their work. Those covering politics and other high-stakes subjects also face the challenge of asking difficult questions while navigating intense public scrutiny.
Okwara’s career demonstrates how journalism can create opportunities to shape national conversations, engage influential leaders and bring public concerns into the spotlight.
Her next chapter may also prompt questions about how experienced journalists can use their platforms, knowledge and professional networks to build new media initiatives and explore different ways of serving the public.
However, Okwara has not publicly disclosed the details of her next move. For now, her departure marks the end of one significant professional chapter rather than the end of her engagement with journalism.
‘Keep Asking the Right Questions’
In her farewell message, Okwara urged journalists and Kenyans to continue demanding accountability from those in power.
“Keep asking the right questions. Keep demanding better. Keep holding power to account. Keep believing that this country is worth fighting for. Because it is. And it must be,” she said.
The message reinforces the public-service role she has associated with her work throughout her career.
As she steps away from Citizen TV after eight years at the station, Okwara leaves behind a professional journey shaped by broadcasting, political debates, interviews with influential figures and conversations about Kenya’s future.
Her immediate plans remain undisclosed, but her farewell message suggests that her commitment to journalism’s central questions, who holds power, how it is exercised and whose voices are heard, will continue to inform whatever she builds next.
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