From the newsroom to the hustle and bustle of the political world, Kenyans.co.ke takes a look at top-ranking journalists who quit their role to oversight political policies in exchange of being the policymakers.
Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja
After the August 2017 general election, Samboja proved himself a formidable politician only for the winds and rains in form of political dissent from his MCAs to descend on him thoroughly.
Samboja, who studied journalism at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication survived an impeachment motion by his MCAs by the skin of his teeth when Senator squashed the case against him on Thursday, October 24.
Taita Taveta MCAs had leveled allegations of misconduct against Samboja.
The embattled county boss prior to his ascension to his county's top office served as a journalist at Royal media services.
Before he was elected governor on an ODM ticket, Samboja owned Milele FM which he sold to Mediamax.
Lugari MP Ayub Savula
When Ayub Savula replaced Cyrus Jirongo as Lugari MP, the former Standard Group journalist had not for once thought that politics would deal him blows after blows.
Prior to his current posting as a lawmaker, Savula served as a reporter at the Kisumu bureau before he was transferred to Nairobi.
The parliamentarian who first visited Nairobi in 1995 found himself in the trenches when he was charged with defrauding the government Ksh 122 million shillings between July 1, 2015, and August 30, 2018.
Savula and his two wives, Melody Gatwiri and Hellen Jepkorir Kemboi were charged with stealing more than the Ksh 122 million from the State Department of Broadcasting and telecommunication.
Former Nairobi County Finance Executive Committee Member Charles Kerich
A top journalist and editor, Kerich served as the editorial Managing Editor of the Star Newspaper before Governor Mike Sonko came calling with a political job.
He joined Radio Africa as a news editor where he worked from 2000 to 2006. Kerich then joined Radio Citizen as an Associate editor where he worked until 2008 before heading back to Radio Africa as Managing Editor.
Kerich was appointed as the Super CEC and tasked by Governor Sonko to oversee the management of 10 other departments at City Hall on Thursday, July 18.
All was running smooth, with Krechi always in the company of Governo Sonko until on Wednesday, Sepetember 25 when he was suspended from office alongside 15 county officials by Governor Sonko.
Joy Gwendo former TNA Senator
Luck came knocking for Joy Gwendo who worked as a radio host at one of Royal Media Services vernacular stations.
In the run up to the 2013 general elections, gwendo was on the right side of the polical devide and reaped bountiful fruits when President Uhuru's TNA party nominated her to the Senate.
All was rosy for the former journalist, until her lifestyle proved too expensive to be financed by her salary.
On Monday, August 6, 2018 the former lawmaker stood before Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti.i and pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.
The former TNA legislator was charged with issuing a bad cheque; one amounting to Ksh.300,000 and another of Ksh.950,000 and abuse of office charge also stated that she used her position as a state official to confer a benefit of Sh2 million.
Her bid to join elective politics culminated in a huge flop after she lost the 2017 Kisumu Town parliamentary seat to Shakeel Shabir.
Nyali MP Mohammed Ali
Popularly known as Moha Jicho Pevu for the daring investigative news stories he executed while at KTN, Nyali MP Mohammed Ali's first dallaince with political fire came during the ODM party nominations for the Nyali parliamentary seat.
Moha faced fierce oposition from party insiders especially the members of the ODM National Elections Board when he vied for the party nominations.
Information from the Grapevine alleged that Governor Hassan Joho had a hand in Moha's woes since the governor's brother was also an aspirant for the Nyali parliamentary seat with the intention to run on an ODM ticket.
Mohamed Ali pulled out of ODM and vied for the seat on a direct nomination ticket.
