What was your first job as a journalist?
I worked as a citizen journalist for a now-defunct news site, Hivisasa. I was charged with collecting news, interviewing and writing.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No
How is social media changing news?
Creating more citizen journalists, reducing bureaucracy involved in breaking news, increased risk of fake news, made news easy to access.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Alex Burchill
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Someone who is ready to risk it all to tell stories for the voiceless and the oppressed, and one who is ready to confront the oppressor.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Buzzsumo, Crowdtangle, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, WhatsApp, Google Analytics, Instagram, Phone calls and Twitter
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
President William Ruto and Boeing Company
Why did you become a journalist?
I never envisioned myself as a journalist before stepping into a media school. I, however, liked it and here I am.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. But I admired the journalism club back then.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Health-related news
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
To be fearless, read widely and don't wait to be spoonfed.
When's the best time to pitch you?
In the evening. So that I can ponder about the pitch before I sleep and also think about it after waking.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A story I worked on about obesity in children in Kisumu.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Following up court stories while I was working at Media Max even when there was nothing to write about in the courts
What's your favorite drink?
water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Riding my bicycle
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Nairobian
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Being a journalist who likes reporting about aviation, many assume any journo with such bias is a pilot.
