By MH Reporter
It is hard to tell that Waihiga Mwaura is actually the son of David Mwaure Waihiga, a Kenyan politician and leader of the Agano Party who ran for presidency in the 2022 general election.
His mother is Lady Justice Anne Ngibuini Mwaure.
Waihiga’s journey in the media started around 2010.
That’s around the time he joined The Royal Media Services as a lowly sports reporter.
I didn’t pay much
It didn’t pay much – neither did it have the pomp and color that often comes with media work.
The graduate of computer science from the African Nazarene had his eyes and heart fixed on something special.
Waihiga is married to the ever beautiful Kenyan gospel musician Joyce Omondi.
“You could tell that he was a special character. A man that is down to earth and very dedicated to work,” a colleague who worked with Waihiga told Mwanahabari Reporting.
Those who have worked in the media know just how unforgiving the newsroom can be – and it was ruthless for a young Waihiga who shared the streets of RMS with the big shots.
After pounding the streets of sports for donkey years, he decided to jump into the deep waters of journalism at the RMS.
RMS culture
“It helped that RMS has a culture of allowing staff to do more than one role and therefore acquire numerous skills,” said our source.
The little-framed man decided to join the TV side of things, after a short stint in Citizen Digital.
“Anytime an anchor was away, he would step in as a back presenter, and he loved. He was always available,” said the source.
That dedication and desire to work opened the doors for this young man, and it was not long before he started to become a regular on Citizen Television – and working with the likes of Hussein Muhammed, Jeff Koinange and other top drawer TV anchors at RMS.
Filling big shoes
His career would take a higher trajectory after Hussein Mohammed left the station, leaving a huge pair of shoes for Waihiga to fill.
“The expectations were high, but he did well, and soon settle to become a mainstay at the station,” said the source.
His efforts would be rewarded with a position at the station as the Special Projects Editor.
In 2021, the soft-spoken and dedicated journalist became the joint winner of the Media Council of Kenya Investigative Award, and the first male winner of the 2018 BBC Komla Dumor award.
Earlier, in 2012, Waihiga won the inaugural Mo Amin award for an investigative piece on doping in Kenya and was awarded the CNN Multichoice award for a creative piece on Maasai morans who took up cricket in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation & the spread of HIV/Aids.
Joining BBC
In 2022, he was appointed the Head of Digital Services at the SK Macharia-owned media house.
And now, Waihiga is heading to BBC Africa.
The journalist made the announcement on his twitter.
After 14 amazing years at Royal Media Services (Citizen TV), my time here has come to an end. My next stop is @BBCNews @BBCAfrica specifically Focus on Africa . I’ll share more details soon, but in the meantime, see you on my last episode of #Newsnight at 9pm on @citizentvkenya
In return, BBC Nairobi Office tweeted:
“We’re delighted to announce that the talented @WaihigaMwaurawill be presenting Focus on Africa TV from Nairobi. He’s a respected journalist and a former winner of the prestigious BBC News Komla Dumor award. We’re thrilled he’s joining our team.
It will be interesting to see who will fill Waihiga’s big shoes at Kenya’s number one station.