Behind every successful brand is a leader with a vision guiding its future and for Citizen TV, Wachira Waruru, the Royal Media Services (RMS) group managing director fits the frame.
Today, the station has steadily risen to become the most-watched in Kenya but what is unknown to many is the career-man behind the robust growth.
Waruru joined the station in 2007, roughly eight years since its inception. At the time, Citizen TV was struggling to unseat the two giant broadcasters at the time KTN and NTV.
The station took off in 2007 under Waruru's stewardship after the introduction of some high-quality drama shows alongside the then revamped news bulletins.
Before joining the broadcaster, however, Waruru had held various other lucrative positions both in government and other media houses.
According to his LinkedIn profile, the MD's career in the world of media management kicked off at Standard Group Limited in 1998, where he served as the group editorial director. He served in the capacity for five years.
He then moved to Kenya's Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), where he assumed the role of a managing director between 2003 and 2006 before taking up a similar position for eight months at the Kenya Film Commission.
In the government, Waruru once served as the chairman of the Media Council of Kenya.
His rise to the top of the news business has been gradual and steady until 2018 when he got elected unopposed to become the chairman of the Media Owners Association (MOA). At the same time, he doubled as the chairman of the Presidential Debate.
He took over the position from Dr Hanningtone Gaya of Media 7 Group who had been at the helm since 2015.
"He brings on board vast experience in the management of the media industry," former Nation Media Group's Editor-in-Chief, Tom Mshindi celebrated him at the time.
Throughout his tenure as the RMS boss, the station achieved a significant bump in viewership, largely due to its assorted content which included local shows.
At around 2008, the station captivated its viewers with a chilling feature titled Kenya’s Secret History where former Nyandura North MP’s JM Kariuki’s murder in 1975 was analyzed in great detail with lots of new information coming out.
So influential is Waruru that comedian Felix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang'o, in 2017, disclosed that he owed his entire career to the media veteran.
"We were not happy (to leave Papa Shirandula programme) but I told Otoyo that when the director said 'camera action' we would make them change their mind. I remember all the cameramen laughing as we talked. Papa is under the table, the director is under the table and everyone else is laughing crazily.
"Then we received the call from the one and only Wachira Waruru and he sat us down in his office. He told us that we were amazing people and we would not leave the program," stated Jalang'o at the time.
