Kenyan journalist Ian Wafula has left the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) after nearly two years at the station.
Wafula, who worked as the Africa Security Correspondent at BBC, made the announcement on Monday evening revealing that he would henceforth be a freelance journalist.
The decorated reporter, who has achieved significant growth since joining the English TV station, reminisced about covering conflicts in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, and Sudan, which he disclosed was a tough task.
“After nearly two years as BBC Africa Security Correspondent, I’m going freelance. Covering conflicts like Sudan, Mozambique, and the DRC was tough, but sharing the stories of those impacted was fulfilling,” Wafula wrote on his X account.
Among his initial roles after joining the BBC in September 2022 was hosting a programme called Focus on Africa, which he initially held in London before transitioning the programme to Nairobi.
Focus on Africa is the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs programme, covering the African continent, and runs on the World Service.
Similarly, in 2020, during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Wafula was assigned the role of senior presenter for a special show on the BBC called The Breakdown.
The programme aimed to help audiences make sense of the global health emergency. The show ran on 32 partner stations in 18 countries, including Kenya.
As a prolific journalist, Wafula has also won several awards, including the Africa Fact Checker of the Year in 2019. He won the award after presenting and reporting for Factfinder, a media literacy and fact-checking show.
Besides working for BBC, Ian has also worked in local TV stations in Kenya including working at K24 from 2015 to 2018 and KTN for a year, from 2014 to 2015.
At K24, Wafula was tasked with presenting a breakfast show dubbed K24 Alfajiri, a current affairs program that analysed some of the trending stores in the country.
Meanwhile, at KTN, he worked under the investigative desk where he covered some of the top security news items including security issues in the Northern part of Kenya.
Wafula holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Daystar University in Nairobi and a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from Cardiff University as a Chevening Scholarship fellow.