YVONNE OKWARA BOWS OUT OF CITIZEN TV: “I AM NOT DONE BUILDING”
Yvonne Okwara has bid farewell to Citizen TV after eight years, telling Kenyans she is “not done building” and urging journalists to keep holding power to account.
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In her farewell message, Okwara reflected on a career defined by tough questions, public accountability and conversations that have shaped Kenya’s political and social landscape. She said she was leaving with the same optimism and passion for journalism and the country that she had when she first entered the profession.
“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.
Over the years, Okwara interviewed presidents, politicians, business leaders, activists and ordinary citizens, earning a reputation as one of Kenya’s prominent broadcast journalists.
Reflecting on her work, she acknowledged that the answers she received did not always satisfy the public, but maintained that asking difficult questions remained essential to the profession.
“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.”
Okwara stressed that her departure did not signal an end to her commitment to public service, hinting at a new chapter focused on building something different.
“So, I am not done building. I am simply moving to build something else,” she said, without detailing her next move.
Her announcement drew tributes from across the political landscape, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who recalled Okwara 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, before moving to Hot 96 FM. She later worked with the Nation Media Group through QFM and QTV before joining Kenya Television Network (KTN) and eventually Citizen TV.
Beyond daily news coverage, she has moderated presidential debates and high-level local and international forums 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 is also a Bloomberg Africa Leadership Initiative Media Fellow, reflecting her engagement with leadership, governance and public affairs.
In her farewell message, Okwara challenged journalists and Kenyans to remain persistent in demanding accountability from those in positions of authority.
“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.
Her departure marks the end of her eight-year chapter at Citizen TV, but her message suggests that the principles that have guided her journalism will remain central to whatever comes next.
For Okwara, the next chapter may be different, but the questions that define public service journalism remain the same: who holds power, how is it exercised, and who answers to the people?
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Written by FRANKLINE NYANDORO
Reporter and staff writer at Getembe News.
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