Most of his fans would probably describe him as an entertaining, likable and a warm person, who has kept them glued to their television sets during prime time.
Ken wa Kuraya, a news anchor at Inooro TV, is one who rose into fame quite fast. It was, however, not without a few hurdles.
The news anchor, who is born to a single mother, is the last born in a family of five.
After he cleared his secondary school education, Kuraya travelled to Nairobi, in search of a better life.
"I wanted to open a business back home, a barbershop, but I ended up working at a pharmacy in Nairobi for a very long time,” the anchor once stated.
His job at the pharmacy was not as fulfilling because Kuraya had a passion for the arts, hence, decided to quite.
“I wrote a few poems in newspapers, especially on Taifa Leo. I also joined the legendary Wahome Mutahi (Whispers) and did a few performances. That made me quit my job at the pharmacy to begin acting," he added.
Contrary to the hopeful future he thought he would have, Kuraya was paid less than he expected and this made him very bitter, hence, he decided to quit his acting job as well.
The news anchor would later resort to selling second hand clothes and work as a constructor but both jobs did not earn him much as well.
He would not make enough money to pay his rent and was, therefore, evicted from his house in Kayole. His friends and family members helped him live through at the time.
While still working in construction, Kuraya would act in several clubs in river road, making a name for himself in the area.
“We acted with our construction clothes, people thought that was a trend we were starting but it was not. We acted with those clothes because we did not have a choice. I became a river road celeb,” he counted.
With the help of his family, Kuraya was able to produce his own show known as Tafadhali Tigera Hau.
The show, which was produced in DVDs and VCDs earned him an amount of money that enabled him to set up a production shop.
In no time, Kuraya was able to open three more shops but as fate would have it, his fortunes changed and he went back to zero.
“I slept in the streets. I met several street families near National archives who shared their stories; former engineers and pilots," he continued.
Kuraya experienced his silver lining when a friend told him about auditions for Tahidi High role.
He did not waste time but auditioned and later clinched the role of a Geography Teacher in the popular Citizen TV show.
In 2015, when Kuraya had that Royal Media Services was opening a Kikuyu TV station, he tried it out as well and sailed it through.
Kuraya has since co-anchored the news on prime news alongside Muthoni Mukuri.
The two have made names for themselves among their target audience.
