Citizen TV on Wednesday, May 10, announced changes to its programming following the exit of Waihiga Mwaura who joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Making the announcement, Royal Media Services (RMS) Group Editorial Director Linus Kaikai explained that the changes were a response to the needs and challenges that were placed on them by their audiences.
Mwaura’s News Night show that aired every Tuesday at 9:00 PM, was replaced by The Explainer, hosted by Yvonne Okwara.
The Explainer by Yvonne Okwara was previously a segment within the Thursday 9:00 PM bulletin, before News Gang at 10PM.
Further, Kaikai noted that because The Explainer exuded authority and explanation to decisions made, Okwara was best suited for the role because of her strong record in public interest reporting.
“She is a strong accountability-driven journalist with a strong record in public interest reporting. Her show will help audiences under the news better.
"The Explainer is introduced because we recognize that our audiences want to understand the meaning behind events and the implications of the news events we cover and how they affect their lives," Kaikai explained.
At the same time, Kaikai announced that Sam Gituku, who hosted the Day Break show every Monday and Tuesday, was moved to Thursday prime time to host Tonight.
“Sam Gituku will be introduced. He brings the distinct strength of data journalism, simply understanding and breaking down numbers.
“What exactly does it mean when Kenyans are told that 3% of their salaries go towards housing? Sam will walk through the numbers, explaining them and breaking them down in a way that our audiences will understand,” added Kaikai.
Waihiga Mwaura quit Royal Media Services (RMS) after amassing 14 years at the station serving his last day at the station on Tuesday, May 2.
"After 14 amazing years at Royal Media Services (Citizen TV), my time here has ended. My next stop is BBC News (BBCAfrica) specifically Focus on Africa.
"I'll share more details soon, but in the meantime, see you on my last episode of #Newsnight at 9:00 pm on Citizen TV," Waihiga stated.
Other Citizen TV's prime-time anchors include Trevor Ombija, Victoria Rubadiri, Jeff Koinange, and Lilian Muli.
