The Standard Media Group on Monday, November 29, launched its converged newsroom.
During the unveiling of the new-look dubbed the 'Project Eagle', the media house recognised some of the journalists who began their career at KTN, following its launch on February 1, 1990.
In a short clip played during the event, KTN highlighted a number of former journalists, including two serving Cabinet Secretaries (CSs) and top managers at Citizen TV, who served as anchors or reporters at the station.
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Raphael Tuju
Jubilee Party Secretary General and Cabinet Secretary without portfolio Raphael Tuju, was among the first news anchors of KTN. The video played during the much-hyped event showed young Tuju presenting news.
A holder of a Master's Degree in Mass Communication from the University of Leicester, the United Kingdom, Tuju worked as an anchor, columnist and producer. He established Ace Communications in 2001 which was behind several documentaries, radio and TV commercials for international agencies, public sector institutions, and private-sector bodies.
Tuju worked as a lead consultant in the design and implementation of several public communication programs for a varied clientele that included the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, the World Bank, the Department for International Development (DFID) of the British government, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He joined politics and was elected member of Parliament for Rarieda constituency. He served as Minister for Information and Tourism in retired president Mwai Kibaki's government. Tuju folded his Party of Action and joined Jubilee, where he became the SG.
Farida Karoney
Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney is also part of KTN's broadcast journey. In the clip, she is seen in the field reporting. Karoney joined KTN as a freelance, became a reporter and rose to the Features Editor.
She had joined NTV in 2001 before returning back to KTN in September, 2004 for a two-year stint. Karoney has also worked for international media houses Radio France Internationale and Al Jazeera.
Karoney rejoined the Standard in 2008 before moving to the Royal Media Services in 2009. Here, she served as Group Managing Editor and by the time she was nominated as Lands Boss, she was the Chief Operations Officer.
Joe Ageyo
Citizen TVs Editorial Director, Joe Ageyo joined KTN in 2000 as a news reporter, majoring on environmental stories. He is known for pioneering the first ever environmental feature, EcoJournal.
He joined NTV in 2005 where spent seven years, rising to become the head of News Production. Ageyo has become one of the country's most sought-after moderators, having overseen the 2013 and 2017 presidential debates. He left KTN News in March 2018, as the Managing Editor.
Linus Kaikai
Linus Kaikai started his career in Kenya Television Network (KTN) in 1999. He later left to work for South Africa Broadcasting Corporation for eight years. Linus rose through the ranks to become a Bureau Chief from a correspondent.
The holder of a Master's degree in International Journalism returned to KTN in 2007 as the Managing Editor in charge of product development and quality. He moved to NTV, where he served as general manager before joining Citizen TV.
Famous for His Kaikai's Kicker,Linus is now Citizen TV's Director of Strategy and Innovation
Other KTN 'Alumni'
Other notable names in the industry include John Sibi-Okumu, veteran journalist, Catherine Kasavuli, Njoroge Mwaura, Sammy Lui and Kathleen Openda.
KTN Features Editor, Sharon Momanyi recognised the presence of several alumni of the station including Joy Doreen Biira and revealed plans of creating a network for them.
"We continue to appreciate all our former staff and in fact we'll be forming the Standard Group Alumus Network in just a moment, " she stated.
In a brief interview Biira hinted at a possible return at the media house while responding to a question posed by Momanyi.
"Who knows, we just might be seeing you more often and you could be seeing us more often as well," she teased.
