EXCLUSIVE: Surprise Letter That Launched KTN's Grace Kuria to Stardom

CGTN's Grace Kuria pictured at KTN studios on December 24, 2019.
CGTN's Grace Kuria pictured at KTN studios on December 24, 2019.
File

A can-do attitude, a positive personality, and a strong work ethic are still the primary ingredients for success

KTN anchor Grace Kuria possesses all these key attributes in bucket loads, which could explain how, in barely a year, she has established herself as one of the fastest rising presenters on Kenya's media scene.

She exudes grace, composure and her command of the Queen’s language is not to be trifled.

A picture of CGTN's Grace Kuria pictured on set at her former job with KTN.
A picture of CGTN's Grace Kuria pictured on set at her former job with KTN.
File

However, little is known about the rising star's challenging journey to the very top, as well as her down-to-earth nature -having conducted most of this interview in Swahili and sheng

Speaking exclusively to Kenyans.co.ke, the news anchor opened up on how she ended up as a journalist, following an unexpected turn of events.

Despite being keen on journalism, Grace had a soft spot for the field of medicine, and becoming a gynecologist was in the back of her mind during her time at Nginda Girl's Secondary School in her home county of Murang'a.

Once she was done with high school, she went for an entry interview at the Kenya Medical Training College in Kijabe back in 2012, which she passed.

The training institution informed her that they had sent her a formal acceptance via the post office.

"If I wasn't a journalist, I'd definitely be a nurse by now, or maybe a teacher," she disclosed in a cheeky tone.

A photo of KTN News anchor Grace Kuria pictured in studio on February 29, 2020.
KTN News anchor Grace Kuria pictured in studio on February 29, 2020.
File

However, as fate would have it, she found an offer letter from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), to pursue a degree in Mass Communication.

This reignited her passion for the field and she decided there and then that she'd be the best in her field.

Her start wasn't rosy, as she landed a gig at K24 as part of the camera crew, a job which called for a lot of heavy lifting on her part.

However, she was clear on her need to make it in the industry, or risk going back to the village.

"Making it was a matter of life or death for me, I simply couldn't allow myself to fail.

"I didn't like any aspect of working on the other side of the camera to be quite candid. It was an energy-sapping experience that involved a lot of manual labour," she narrated.

She realized that she needed to do something to change her situation, which is what led her to frequent visits to the studio, where she spent hours on end, just watching and learning.

Interestingly, her big break at K24 came during one of her worst moments.

The energetic intern had volunteered to go to parliament in a bid to find a story. However, her day took a turn for the worse after she ended up collapsing on the floor of the press area.

She had been so focused on executing her task that she overlooked the need to actually eat, plus, as an intern, she had to be economical about her finances.

It was then that the Managing Director at the time, Fred Njiri, noticed her raw hunger and desire to be the best version of herself. He immediately decided to give her a shot in studio, which she took in like a duck to water.

She interned at the Mediamax owned station before KTN came calling in January 2019.

Her meteoric rise at just 24 has been simply phenomenal. Having started out on screen back in February 2019, Grace is now a mainstay on the channel. 

Her days are balanced between going to the field to generate content for her stories, moving back to the studios where she pens down her scripts alongside her editor and finally getting live on air.

Grace also doubles as a motivational speaker, with her former campus -JKUAT, next on her list of institutions she's been invited to inspire the next generation.

A photo of KTN News anchor Grace Kuria poses for a photo on February 22, 2020.
A photo of KTN News anchor Grace Kuria poses for a photo on February 22, 2020.
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