Francis Gachuri’s journey to becoming one of the country’s most famed political journalists was not a walk in the park.
Despite his flawless articulation and TV presentation prowess, Gachuri was born and raised Banana, Kiambaa within Kiambu County.
He attended Karuri Nursery and Primary schools, before proceeding to Senior Chief Koinange High School for his secondary education.
His upbringing, according to his past testimony in an interview, was not out of the ordinary as he had to grow up in a single-parent family.
After sitting his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 1999, Gachuri worked as a tout in the matatus plying the Nairobi-Banana route as he sought to earn income to finance his studies before pursuing higher education.
He once narrated his experience as a beginner in the matatu business and his encounters with other conductors as they competed to edge out each other in convincing commuters to board their vehicles.
"After my high school, my uncle invited me to work as a tout in his matatu. But at first- before I was fully inducted as a conductor I went through an initiation process in what is referred to as "batteries"," Gachuri narrated.
"I used to edge out my fellow touts and use all techniques to win passengers ahead of my competition," he reminisced.
In 2001, Gachuri joined Moi University, in Eldoret where he pursued his Communications Degree before graduating in 2005.
He joined the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) in February 2006 to set his career in motion. He worked for one year, before joining Citizen TV in September 2007.
At Citizen TV, Gachuri's prospects were evident, especially from his eloquence as a reporter. He established his name in the journalism field- mostly from his detailed coverage of political events and affairs.
Owing to his consistently outstanding performance in reporting roles, Gachuri earned fame and approval of the public and his employer- which eventually led to his promotion to the position of Citizen TV's Political Editor.
In the run-up to being appointed as the Secretary of Strategic Communications in the Ministry of Interior, the bi-lingual journalist was part of the News Gang panel.
He also juggled between Citizen TV and Inooro where he hosted a political talk show christened Kiririmbi.
He was once rumoured to be considering a switch to politics in a by-election in 2021 in Kiambaa Constituency. However, Gachurii dismissed the reports, terming them "fake news" from people with unknown motives.
