Veteran journalist Yvonne Okwara has announced her exit from Citizen TV, ending her 8-year stint at the Royal Media Services-owned station.
In her sign-off, Okwara reflected on her two-decade career in journalism, saying she was leaving with the same optimism and passion for the country that she had when she began her career.
“When I walked through these doors 20 years ago, I was young, fresh out of university with a microbiology degree, some television experience from my youth, but teeming with vibrancy, optimism for this great craft of journalism and for this country. I still feel the same way,” she said.
Okwara said her career had given her the opportunity to interview presidents, chief executives, world leaders, activists, politicians and ordinary citizens, as well as participate in some of the country's most significant conversations.
“I've spent two decades asking questions. Sometimes the answers have inspired us. Sometimes they have angered us. Sometimes they have disappointed us,” she said.
“But I've always believed that asking the question matters. That holding power to account matters. That giving ordinary people a voice matters.”
She added that she was not abandoning her commitment to public service but moving on to pursue something different.
“So, I am not done building. I am simply moving to build something else,” she said.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna paid tribute to the journalist, recalling her role in giving him his first television appearance more than 13 years ago.
“Wishing you all the best in your next chapter, Yvonne Okwara. I really loved our little talks on the Explainer. You are one of the best to ever do it. I won’t forget you gave me my first appearance on TV over 13 years ago. Forever grateful, God bless!” Sifuna said.
Okwara began her media career at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), where she hosted a children's programme. She later worked at Hot 96 FM before joining the Nation Media Group through QFM and QTV, and subsequently moved to Kenya Television Network (KTN).
Throughout her career, she has moderated local and international panels featuring prominent figures, including Melinda French Gates, former US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and former African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka.
She has also moderated Kenya's presidential debates and is a Bloomberg Africa Leadership Initiative Media Fellow.
In her farewell message, Okwara urged journalists and Kenyans to continue questioning authority and demanding accountability.
“Keep asking the right questions. Keep demanding better. Keep holding power to account. Keep believing that this country is worth fighting for. Because it is. And it must be,” she said.
She described her 20 years in journalism as an honour, expressing continued belief in the country's potential and the role journalism can play in building a better nation.
