Inooro TV News Anchor Ken Kuraya has spoken about the struggles he underwent in his career path before finally landing a job in the media.
Speaking to media marriage counsellor Anne Wamuratha on her Youtube channel, Kuraya said his short sting as a Geography teacher in the popular Citizen TV show Tahidi High came after 15 years of tarmacking.
Kuraya stated that his path to fame was not without hurdles. He slept on the streets, and did odd jobs before finally actualising his dream of working in the media industry.
At some point he resorted to selling second hand clothes, and even took construction works in Nairobi to put food on the table.
"I was evicted from my house in Kayole due to rent," stated the TV anchor.
The news anchor admitted that friends and family members helped him live through the tough times.
He would juggle between construction work and taking part in acting gigs within Nairobi in order to make a name for himself.
“I would often act dressed in the same clothes I wore to mjengo. Some people thought that was a trend we were starting, but it was not. I was broke,” Kuraya stated.
With the help of his family, Kuraya produced a local show dubbed Please Stop Right There. The local production was sold in the form of DVDs and CDs.
He sold a couple of them and earned enough money to set up a production shop. However, his business hit a dead end as the sales went down. He had to start afresh.
“I slept on the streets. I met several street families near National Archives, most of whom who shared their stories; some of them former engineers and even pilots," he recalled.
However, his luck changed when a friend informed him that Tahidi High was scouting for actors. Kuraya auditioned and landed the role which he held for two years. The challenges and prior experience prepared him for the next stage which came after Royal Media Services announced that they were opening a Kikuyu TV station.
He admitted that the recruitment process was rigorous, but he finally got shortlisted and even selected for the news anchor role in 2015.
