One of the biggest dilemmas many Kenyans have faced is choosing between following their parents' dreams or pursuing their passion however odd it may be.
KTN News anchor Lofty Matambo is one among many Kenyans whose careers took a different turn from what they studied for in school.
In a recent interview, the trained laboratory expert explained how he left a patient in hospital for an opportunity to be in the media.
He had worked at a local clinic which slowly drained his energy day after day, to a point where the doctor had noticed and encouraged him to chase his dreams.
One day as Matambo was attending to a patient who needed testing, he heard an announcement on Hope FM.
The presenter at the time said that callers would be given two minutes to pretend to be reading news and the best would be given a chance on air.
"That moment I felt as though God had presented the opportunity and right then, I left my patient in the lab, ran up the stairs and hid in a room to do my audition," he remembered.
Other callers were selected and just as Matambo's hope was starting to fade, he was picked as the last contestant.
Listeners were asked to vote and he won with an overwhelming 90% majority vote, securing an invitation to Hope FM.
After being on air for three hours alongside Anthony Ndiema, he was invited to share a meal with other presenters as well as the station's bosses.
"In my head, I thought I had already secured a job in the media but it did not work out as I hoped and had to go back to my job at the local clinic," he narrated.
Later on, Ndiema got a job at The Standard Group which owns KTN, KTN News and Radio Maisha brands.
Ndiema called Matambo and informed him of his exit from Hope FM, urging him to apply for the vacant position.
Lofty applied and was shortlisted but again it did not work out. The two would later meet at Standard Group's newsroom and have been close friends to date.
The trained medic is now one of the biggest names in media, where he juggles between doing Swahili news on KTN News and hosting a show a Radio Maisha.
In June, he partnered with his colleague, Fridah Mwaka to release a song about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the country.
