It seems like whoever penned the phrase, 'hard work pays' was studying NTV anchor Salim Swaleh's life from a time he lived in Kibra.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, the eloquent Swahili anchor disclosed that he endured a rough start in life, initially working for free for a year at the now-defunct Touch Radio in Nakuru.
The most tumultuous time in his life was probably when he worked as a plastic paper recycler at Nairobi's Industrial Area, Nairobi, and earned a meager Ksh230 a day.
He revealed that life was tough for him from the onset as he would walk from Kibra, where he lived, to City Cabanas before boarding a matatu to the Industrial Area for work.
"Life was tough then. I remember walking from Kibra to City Cabanas on my way to work at Industrial Area. I worked with a firm that recycled plastics that had been collected and I made Ksh230 per day," he divulged to Kenyans.co.ke.
He further revealed that in his childhood, he did not come from a rich family and that his school fees were sustained majorly by donors.
"I did not come from a rich family and I went through a lot of difficulties throughout my schooling life. I depended on donors to settle my bills," he continued.
At the start of his media career, the anchor revealed that despite his early-age desire to become a journalist, he had to endure a lot of challenges.
He had to endure a daily four-kilometer walk to work in Nakuru for one year but he never gave up.
Today, Swaleh ranks as one of the prolific Swahili anchors at NTV where he hosts a prime time news bulletin with Jane Ngoiri.
He is a celebrated career journalist in Kenya having served as a news anchor at Citizen TV before making the switch to NTV where he hosts the Swahili news alongside Ngoiri.
He exited the Dennis Prit-based media house rather noisily after reports floated in the local media that he was axed after blackmailing newsmakers and receiving bribes.
He, however, set the record straight revealing that his choice to leave the station was influenced by his own personal reasons and not what was reported in the news media.
“Yes, it is true I left Citizen TV a week ago. I resigned for personal reasons not because of what I am reading online. My salary and the little I get from my businesses is enough money for me. I am a professional journalist who has worked with international media entities,” he clarified at the time.
Swaleh joined NTV in 2018. He has previously worked as a news producer, African affairs expert and researcher at Nation Centre and as an international journalist for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
