Citizen TV's Purity Mwambia Rise as a Respected Investigative Journalist

An undated file image of Citizen TV investigative journalist Purity Mwambia.
An undated file image of Citizen TV investigative journalist Purity Mwambia.
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Social media has been awash with the recent expose by Citizen TV investigative journalist Purity Mwambia titled Guns Galore which was aired on Sunday, April 18.

In the chilling expose, Mwambia and her crew revealed how police officers aided crime syndicates by leasing out their weapons and uniforms to thugs.

This elicited mixed reactions from Kenyans online as some have lauded the reporter for her brave and yet heroic reporting. Others, however, criticised Mwambia for implicating certain police officers in the alleged criminal activities.

K24 Studios in Nairobi.
K24 Studios in Nairobi.
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The investigative journalist has amassed years in the media industry from working at notable media houses. She began harnessing her craft at KTN where she worked at the investigations desk. 

Her time at the Mombasa road-based station brought scintillating exposes such as Dhahabu ya Mauti which exposed a ring of international gold dealers who conducted a series of criminal operations in Kenya.

Mwambia soon jumped ship to Mediamax studios and continued with uncovering crime reports.

A notable feature dubbed Bweta la Uhalifu, however, saw Mwambia and her crew arrested and grilled by the antiterror police unit on April 27, 2015, over the intricate details of the feature. 

The investigative piece revealed how Mwambia and her crew easily made their way into the GSU headquarters with an improvised explosive device that was undetected by the police officers. 

The expose uncovered security lapses at the GSU headquarters- a feature that the state protested would be a threat to national security if it were to air.

After hours of interrogation while in detention, both her and her crew were let go by the officers.

In 2018, Mwambia joined the investigative desk at Citizen TV. The journalist was yet again on the spot after she received criticism over another feature titled Virus Safaris. 

The report, which aired in June 2020 highlighted the reckless nature of Kenyans in regards to the cessation of movement orders issued by the government. 

The report painted a distinct picture of how Kenyans were defiant to the directives imposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta which were aimed at curbing the Covid-19 pandemic.

President Uhuru Kenyatta signs a bill into law in December 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta signs a bill into law in December 2020.
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