Sema na Citizen, Nipashe (CitizenTV)
I am a seasoned Broadcast-Journalist currently working as a Kiswahili Editor & News Anchor for Citizen TV.
I have been a journalist since 1991 with experiences in both print and electronic media gained from my career engagements at the Kenya Times, Standar Newspapers, The Message, Weekly Mail, BBC, Nation TV, KTN. I have contributed news stories, features and reports for the London- based shipping magazine, Ports International (1997-2002), Los Angeles Times (USA),Uhuru, The Express newspapers both of Tanzania and in the local newspapers.
I had been a member of East African Foreign Correspondents Association (1993-1999). Currently I am a Member of the Media Council of Kenya and Kenya Editors Guild. I have earned several awards and accolades notably among them being by Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) Journalists of the Year Awards as the News Anchor of the Year (Kiswahili) for the year 2003 and again 2004. Also I have won the favourite TV Male Presenter Award for four consecutive years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the youth premier awards, Chaguo La Teeniz Awards(CHAT). Also in 2004 Daystar University, awarded me a recognition award, The Star of Excellence Awards. In July 2009, I was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of Culture by Jamhuri Peace Foundation, a programme under UN Habitat. Between 2012 – 2016, I was a commissioner for ACALAN( which loosely translates in French as the African Academy of Langauges) a specialized body of the African Union assigned with the task of developing and promoting the use of African languages as a pragmatic means of fostering African integration.
Over the years I have also been invited to give lectures/talks to various learning institutions, such as Catholic University of Eastern Africa( CUEA), Nairobi International School and recently Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT).
As well as being a Broadcast-Journalist, I am also a writer and enthusiastic Kiswahili poet. I am also a published author and have so far authored the following books: Fumbo La Hadaa (Mvule Africa, 2005), Nachora Kwa Maneno (Oxford University Press, 2009), Michezo Yetu ( Moran Publisher, 2010),Tafakari Ya Babu ( Moran Publishers, 2011), Mwanasiasa (East African Educational Publishers, 2016), Mpira wa Kilo na Wenzake ( Phoenix Publishers, 2018) and a self- published book, TV News Anchoring which came out in 2019.
I hold a degree in Media Studies from Malaspina University College, Canada and Journalism Certificate from United States International University (USIU-A). I have undergone various journalism training courses and training with both local and international organizations including BBC World Service, DANIDA, PANOS, KONRAD-ADENAUER, FRIEDRICH-EBERT to name but a few.
My greatest ace is humour as witnessed in the chit-chat narrations during news reading and telling viewers anecdotes about my Babu ( grandfather) which has become my trademark. This resulted into a published book going by the same name Tafakari Ya babu. As a result I am colloquially known as Babu.
My hobbies include writing, hence my passion for being an author. I like reading anything I lay my hands on and I have a personal home library with quite a stock of different books and magazines, journals etc. I also keep a collection of interesting news items, articles/photos of memorable events. I keep record of such events as well. I like languages, learning more about any language . I am a fan of music in general, but more specifically I love Lingala, Afro-Congo, Soukous, Bongo Flava, Kenyan Genge genre and Salsa.
TV is also my hobby because of watching News, documentaries to keep abreast of what’s happening in the world. I like watching Nija movies and action-packed military movies. I like Geography, learning about countries of the world, places etc. I am a student of History too. Biographies of prominent people fascinate me and finally I love cooking my favourite meal being Ugali and Fish.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/swalehmdoe