Janet Mbugua: I Called Capital FM Everyday, Got Big Break at 19

Former Citizen TV News anchor Janet Mbugua
Former Citizen TV News anchor Janet Mbugua.
Twitter

Former Citizen TV news anchor, Janet Mbugua, has opened up on how she landed her first show at Capital FM at 19 years.

In a statement after an interview at the station during its 25th anniversary celebrations on Wednesday, October 6, the media personality noted that her breakthrough in the industry was not easy.

She revealed that after dropping off a tape she had recorded, she kept calling the station everyday until one day, a representative at the station called Phil Mathews responded to her.

"At 19 years I somehow told myself I can hold down a Radio Show, on my favorite Radio Station, no less!" she narrated.

Janet Mbugua is all smiles after the launch of her book titled My First Time.
Janet Mbugua all smiles after the launch of her book titled My First Time.
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"I called them everyday as a gap-year student, from my bedroom in Mombasa, asking if they had an opening," stated Mbugua.

She noted that after her incessant calls, Mathews finally responded to her promising that if a position opened up, he would get in touch with her.

"Finally, they patched me through to Phil Mathews and he bellowed down the line, 'Janet if we get any opening, we will call you, ok?' A few months later, he did, and Capital gave me my big break."



"I’m smiling so hard right now, because despite the many times I’m hard on myself, today I remembered that bold and relentless 19 year-old who dared to dream," she added.

When she joined the station, Mbugua was assigned the Mid-Morning Magazine and was also named as the host of the drive show at the station, a job she held for a year with a monthly pay of Ksh50,000.

The break would mark the beginning of an illustrious career for the media personality who transitioned to Citizen TV as its news anchor alongside Hussein Mohammed.

She worked in the industry for 10 years before quitting the Kilimani-based station in April 2017.

In an interview at the time, Mbugua noted that she quit the job because she was experiencing burnout after working non-stop.

“I had done it for 10 years. It was 10 years non-stop of working. Starting in Nairobi, going to South Africa coming back to Nairobi, starting a family, getting into brand endorsements."

“I was burnt out, I had a really young child at the time and there was an election coming up and I had an election burn out and I felt that this was the good time to step back,” she explained.

File image of media personality Janet Mbugua
File image of media personality Janet Mbugua
Twitter