After his meteoric rise to the epitome of Kenya's journalism practice, Citizen TV's Ayub Abdikadir has the conviction that the 2022 General Election presented a key to his new chapter as a prominent anchor in Kenya.
Speaking in an interview, Ayub noted that his life changed within 72 hours between the Nairobi Gubernatorial Debate which he co-hosted on July 11, 2022, and a roundtable interview with the then Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati.
Although the Nairobi gubernatorial debate he moderated, did not attract as much traction, he stated that the roundtable interview with Chebukati influenced a decisive turn in his journalism career after receiving profound positive feedback.
Abdikadir was one of the journalists who interviewed the former IEBC Chair and CEO Hussein Marjan with less than a month left to the August General Election.
The then little-known K24 TV anchor left tongues wagging after his astute representation of some key questions which surrounded IEBC's preparations for the much-anticipated polls, among them being the contentious involvement of Smartmatic - an international electoral firm.
His performance in the roundtable sparked reactions with some likening him to the once popular moderator, the current State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed.
While reflecting on his interview, Abdikadir noted that he received multiple calls from prominent Kenyans commending him for articulating the issues surrounding IEBC’s preparations ahead of the August election.
However, he added, a call from Royal Media Services proved to be the most crucial as it presented him with a lifetime opportunity to realise his dream career.
"It was the following day that I received the call that entirely changed my now coming to Royal Media Services and it was some sixteen days to the end of the month for me to come on board.
"I must admit that it was unexpected but I had always prayed for it," he noted.
When asked about his reaction, Abdikadir noted that he submitted his curriculum vitae within one minute after the call and the reporting date was set for August 1.
After consultations, the revered journalist was later compelled to take the deal offered at RMS.
“I have to attribute it to God and the phone call that I received in July. I submitted the CV in under one minute.
“I prayed that the election in 2022 would open new frontiers because new challenges are what everyone seeks, an environment where he finds himself in the place where he can expand his horizon and scope of thinking and undertaking of duties," he narrated.
Abdikadir joined Citizen TV in August, just a few days before the General Election. Shortly after his move, the Mount Kenya University graduate became an integral part of the election coverage and subsequently embarked on other assignments within the newsroom.
As of the time of this publication, Abdikadir was a senior reporter and a host of Citizen TV's breakfast show titled Day Break.
