Award-winning TV anchor Waihiga Mwaura has experienced a meteoric rise in the media industry. Once a banker, Mwaura has grown to become one of the top-drawer journalists in Kenya.
It was however never smooth sailing for Mwaura who has revealed that behind the accolades and seniority, lies a deep-rooted passion that has helped him navigate the industry.
The seasoned journalist disclosed that his entry into Citizen TV had a false start after he auditioned for a show at the station, only for him to be turned down because of his dressing.
"It was a kids show, but I had worn a suit and tie," he disclosed in an interview, adding that the official conducting the auditions took his number and later contacted him for a different show at the station.
He would later work on the show for a while, before eventually landing an opportunity to feature on the Power Breakfast show.
It was while working on the show that he got to rub shoulders with some of the experienced journalists at the time including Mutegi Njau, Johnson Mwakazi and Kobi Kihara whom he credited for mentoring him.
He was trained in sports journalism and sought to delve more into the subject other than giving statistics of match results.
In 2012, Waihiga clinched the CNN Multichoice Africa award for an impeccable and creative piece he did on Masai morans (warriors) who took up cricket in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation and the spread of HIV/Aids.
"I wanted to tell sports stories to a wider audience, and that is why I pursued the Masai Morans which ended up winning a CNN award," he added.
Mwaura noted that he was confident the feature would bag the award.
He noted that even though he was not as established in the media industry at the time, he was still able to win the award.
"As much as you are not experienced as others, that should not stop you from going for something and aspiring for greatness,' he advised.
In 2018, he won the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award and was in September 2020 appointed the new Special Projects Editor for Citizen TV.
In his senior role, Waihiga is currently in charge of features, investigative stories, special reports as well as forward planning for special events at the station.
