Kenya deployed its troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for a peacekeeping mission. The deployment saw a handful of Kenyan journalists accompany the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to the battleground.
The journalists drawn from leading media houses in the country will play a critical role in telling stories from the frontline.
According to a source that spoke to Kenyans.co.ke from DRC, the journalists, who are mainly crime reporters, include Citizen TV's Hassan Mugambi, NTV's Leila Mohammed, KBC's Fredrick Muoki and KTN News' George Maringa.
But who are these reporters who will endure gunshots for the next couple of months?
Hassan Mugambi
Hassan Mugambi is a journalist, crime and security reporter and Swahili news anchor at Citizen TV Kenya.
He was born and raised in Nairobi's Kibra, one of the largest slums in Africa.
He attended Meru Boarding Primary School before joining Kanyakine High School located in Meru County.
Hassan Mugambi attended the East African School of Journalism and then joined the University of Nairobi to further his studies.
Hassan started out his career at Pamoja FM, a Kibra radio station. His big break came when china-owned CGTN and then CCTV poached tens of journalists from Kenyan media houses.
Before joining Citizen TV in September 2016, the bilingual journalist also worked at Kijabe Street-based K24.
Leila Mohammed
Born in 1984, Leila Mohammed is an NTVs crime reporter.
She joined Multimedia University for a diploma in communication after she cleared high school and later graduated from Masinde Muliro University with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
In 2013, she joined NMG's QTV where she worked until 2016 when the station folded.
In 2018, she was the only civilian woman to go to Somalia during an African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) sponsored trip to see how Kenyan troops served.
Leila is among a handful of female crime reporters in the country.
Fredrick Muoki
Fredrick Muioki is a Sports News reporter and video editor at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.
He went to Ngelani Boys' High school and attended the Multimedia University of Kenya where he pursued a Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication/Public Relations, Cinematography and Film/Video.
George Maringa
George Maringa is an Anchor / Reporter at KTN News based at the Standard Group Centre along Mombasa Road.
Previously, he worked as the network's first-ever Reporter based in Meru County for 3 years, where he told stories from among other counties; Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Meru, Isiolo, Lamu and Marsabit.
He joined the Standard Group PLC as an intern in 2017.
Maringa is a graduate of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) where he pursued an undergraduate degree in Mass Communication, with a specialization in Broadcast Journalism.
He is also an Alumnus / Fellow of Finland's Foreign Correspondents' Programme.
He is among the budding journalists at KTN News, where he also hosts a number of segments, including the Weekend Express on Sundays in the morning.
KDF Deployment to DRC
The first batch of KDF landed in Goma on Saturday, November 12, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to support the restoration of peace in Eastern DRC.
The troops were deployed to fight M23 rebels in the DRC in a joint regional operation.
Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces General Robert Kibochi saw off the team at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
President Ruto last week ordered the deployment of 903 soldiers from KDF to join a regional peacekeeping mission - the East African Community Regional Force to the Democratic Republic of Congo (EACRF-DRC).
