Having been a student of Computer Science at the Africa Nazarene University, Waihiga Mwaura had never envisioned a career in the media industry.
Mwaura opened up about his journey to becoming one of the biggest names in journalism to Parents Magazine in December 2018, where he narrated that it had taken a lot of nudging from his church pastor to even consider a career in the field of journalism.
“I used to emcee events in the church and each time the pastor would tell me that I should be in media but I kept ignoring him,” he narrated.
At that moment, he was working as a bank cashier, a job that he narrated was tiring and boring, but he was afraid of making a leap.
It was when he turned 25 that he realized that if he did not take a leap of faith, then responsibilities would catch up with him, and he made the strong decision to walk away from his banking career.
Mwaura narrated that he then met up with a veteran journalist identified as Ephy Hunja who he looked up to for guidance on the way forward.
“We worshipped in the same church so when I took that leap, I reached out to him. He bought me lunch and gave me such great advice. I have been trying to repay that lunch ever since,” he joked.
Mwaura told the magazine that when he sent his curriculum vitae to various media outlets, he tried his hands at acting while waiting for response, but it backfired badly on him.
“That experience was an eye-opener. I got into it thinking that I would be the next Will Smith but I left there humbled. Portraying different emotions on cue is hard! I have a deep respect for actors,” he recounted.
Soon after he dropped his interest for acting, he auditioned for a show on Citizen TV, but he was not called back as the interview panel had promised him.
A panelist, however, noted potential in him and recommended him when the next auditions were announced, leading to a big break when he got picked to host Zinduka entrepreneurship show that ran on Wednesdays during the prime time news.
He then rose through the ranks, joining Power Breakfast show team on Citizen, before becoming a sports journalist and finally an anchor, leading to his winning the BBC Komla Dumor award.
