Success has and will never occur by accident because it requires perseverance, hard work, sacrifice, and most of all, loving what you do or learning to do.
Those are the words of the late Brazilian superstar Edson Arantes Nascimento popularly known as Pele.
However, in the current Kenyan society, most individuals like to use shortcuts to achieve their desired goals.
One of the few people, who perhaps epitomizes Pele's words, is the famous NTV Swahili news anchor Joshua Makori.
In an exclusive interview with Kenyans.co.ke, Makori narrated the struggles and sacrifices he had to make to land a lucrative job at the Nation Media Group-owned television station.
Makori's journey to the desk of one of the leading television stations in Eastern and Central Africa started at Nyangoge - a village situated in the heart of Nyamira County.
During his childhood years at Nyangoge Primary School, he used to adore the football commentary done by the legendary KBC commentator Jack Oyoo Slyvester.
"As a child growing up in the village, I had a dream of becoming a football commentator. I enjoyed listening to famed sports presenter Jack Oyoo Sylvester popularly known as Kaka Jos while in class five.
"I never knew that God had already blessed me with a similar talent. I used to read Swahili storybooks and the entire class would go silent and enjoy my flawless reading as well as the golden voice.
"Within a short time, I started doing commentary at various local tournaments," disclosed Makori.
After completing his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Makori joined Nyangoge Day Secondary School within the same locality.
He would later ditch the learning institution for the Trans Nzoia County-based Friends Bwake Boys High School from where he sat his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Exams (KCSE).
Makori then enrolled at the Jodan College in Thika to pursue a course in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Before his graduation in 2012, Makori landed a job at the Kibera-based Pamoja FM. It was while working at the radio station that he applied for a job at the defunct QFM which was under the Nation Media Group.
Sadly, QFM did not give him a chance to showcase his brilliant commentary skills. However, as fate would have it, another opportunity knocked on his door and he took it with both arms.
He was employed by the Nation Media Group to do a low-paying manual job (arranging unsold newspapers that were brought back from the market).
It was while doing the newspaper job that Makori did all he could to fulfill his dream of becoming a football presenter.
"I started creating a path to work as a presenter. I used to work without pay at QTV during the day and at night resume my newspaper job.
"Within a year of voluntary work, I was eventually employed by QTV and worked there between 2013 and June 2016, when the television station was closed.
"Thanks to my good work, my bosses transferred me to NTV after the closure of QTV" narrated Makori.
From there, the rest is history. Makori went on to become one of the best Swahili news anchors in the country.
He currently presents news on NTV Jioni, and NTV Adhuhuri and hosts a show called Mikikimikiki that airs every Friday between 12 pm and 1 pm.
His advice to anyone who would like to become a sports journalist is to be patient and work hard.
"To anyone who dreams of becoming a sports journalist, talent and patience are very crucial because the job is not as easy as many people view it.
“The profession involves a lot of work. So, it is very important to work hard and never lose hope," ended Makori.
