Former K24 presenter Betty Kyallo was the talk of the town after she announced her departure from the Mediamax owned station on May 30.
She joined a growing list of renowned female news anchors who took up the 'quit while you are ahead' mantra and stepped out of their coveted TV shows and into the big unknown.
However, life after TV seems to have panned even better than anticipated as these gifted women have gone on to conquer new frontiers.
See what they're up to below:
Betty Kyallo
The former K24 anchor clearly has something up her sleeve, following her decision to splash at least Ksh7.1 million in a brand new 2019 Porsche Cayenne SUV just days after she quit her anchor job.
She also shared brand new signage of her Flair By Betty beauty parlour, hinting at opening up a new outlet.
The parlour is positioned as a high-end destination where one can have anything from a Ksh1,000 haircut to a Ksh7,000 deep tissue massage.
Her recent decision to venture into the YouTube space has seen her garner over 48K subscribers with each of her episodes amassing tens of thousands of views in a matter of hours.
During her last show on K24, she revealed that she'd be using the space to air her highly anticipated web series known as Betty Kyallo Lately.
The 27-minute production adopted a 'day in the life' format, taking fans behind the scenes as it depicted a regular day in the presenter's life.
Mwanaisha Chidzuga
Seasoned journalist Mwanaisha Chidzuga has been gracing our screens for more than a decade before her tenure at K24 came to an end on October 2019.
Soon after, she revealed to Kenyans.co.ke that her departure from the rigorous demands of hosting prime time news would finally free her up to fully focus on her passion for catering services and running her 3 hotels.
"For me, K24 TV was part-time. I am a full-time caterer and I own three restaurants. K24 was a hobby and I used to work like 12 hours the whole month," Chidzuga revealed.
She also announced that she would be feeding her journalistic hunger on her new show dubbed dada2dada.
The show which airs on her YouTube channel focuses on women and is aimed at inspiring and empowering them.
In November 2019, her mother, Zainab Kalekye Hassan, was appointed to the Special Economic Zones Authority for three years.
Julie Gichuru - Order of the Golden Warrior (OGW)
Julie needs little introduction as she graced our screens for over 15 years. However, like fine wine, she has matured into an even bigger brand after stepping away from Citizen TV.
She is now the founder and Chief Executive Officer at Arimus Media Limited.
She is also a successful entrepreneur, running an online fashion store called Mimi, its no wonder she has been recognised as one of Africa’s most influential women.
Her business must be doing really well as she turned down President Uhuru Kenyatta's job offer on May 5, 2019.
She had been appointed to the board of Kenya Export Promotion and Brand Agency, a job she turned down, citing previous commitments and a tight schedule.
“Due to heavy prior commitments and my intense travel schedule I cannot accept this appointment. I know there are many Kenyans who could serve this role well. Wish them the best and as always, repping Kenya and Africa in all that I do everywhere that I go,” she revealed.
During her time in the media, Julie was famed as a trendsetter as she pioneered what is possibly Kenya’s first investigative TV series The Inside Story on KTN.
Janet Mbugua
The former TV siren runs her own YouTube channel where she shares her life with her fan base and is the founder of Inua Dada.
Inua Dada organization ensures that primary school girls of menstruating age receive menstrual health management education and sanitary towels so that they can be able to attend and complete school successfully.
She has also authored a book, 'My First Time', the book which is published by Longhorn Publishers is her first.
The book tackles menstruation issues as it features stories from different men and women drawn from various backgrounds.
Janet has been at the forefront pushing for better menstrual hygiene and the abolishment of taxes on menstrual hygiene products such as sanitary towels.
"10% of proceeds from the sale of this book will go to providing innovative solutions for access and information and solutions to addressing period poverty with the Menstrual Hygiene Management.” she once disclosed.
Kanze Dena
The State House spokesperson best captures the beauty of the journey having done several menial jobs before getting to where she is right now.
Speaking during an interview on Ghetto Radio in 2018, Dena urged youths not to be choosy when it comes to jobs, noting that most people start from humble beginnings.
She went on to reveal that she once worked at her grandfather’s cafeteria where she used to peel potatoes before scaling up to become a waitress.
The eloquent Kanze now heads the State House communication team where her gross pay is believed to be in the Ksh800,000 a month.
Jacque Maribe
Maribe made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2018-2019, leading to her exit from Citizen TV.
However, she has been slowly but steadily making it back to her feet and by the end of 2019, she revealed that she was now fully invested in the emceeing and events business.
A quick scroll on her Instagram page shows a woman who has been canvassing the country and hosting events, both social and corporate.
When she landed a gig to host a karaoke night at 1824 lounge along Lang'ata Road, Nairobi, the news went viral.
Leveraging her own brand, Maribe has managed to keep her head above water against seemingly insurmountable odds.
