Not every great career begins with a plan. For Jamila Mohamed, Kenya’s prime time news anchor and Managing Editor at Citizen TV, the journey to becoming one of the country’s most recognised journalists started with someone else failing to show up.
Back in 2000, Jamila walked into IQRA FM looking for a sales role. She was not chasing a broadcasting dream.
How did Jamila Mohamed become a journalist?
But when the scheduled newsreader went missing on air day, management turned to her in a pinch and asked her to read the bulletin. She did. That was the moment everything changed.
What followed was more than twenty years in front of the microphone and behind the scenes. Jamila spent sixteen of those years at NTV, working her way from a junior reporter all the way up to managing editor.
During that same period, she was raising five children and pursuing her education simultaneously, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies, then pushing further with a Master’s in International Conflict Management, both from the University of Nairobi.
She now anchors prime time news at Citizen TV and co-hosts the Thursday current affairs show, News Gang, cementing her reputation as a fixture in Kenya’s media landscape. Long before the newsroom, Jamila was a young girl growing up in Kericho who lost her father at just eight years old.
She has spoken openly about the role her mother played in shaping the woman she would become, crediting her with providing the foundation of strength and purpose that carried her through the years ahead.
Her work has earned formal recognition over the years. In 2022, she received an award for Excellence in Investigative Journalism, and in 2025 she was named among Kenya’s 50 Most Influential Women.
When her story resurfaced online in August, the reaction from Kenyans was immediate and warm.
@carolradull:
“I love her. Massive respect! Helps that she’s a Gooner Champion.”
@sabrwomencollection:
“My all-time favourite hijabi journalist.”
@itsofficialeddie:
“A True Inspiration MashaAllah.”
@mwangimaina_:
“Auntie Jams. Tops.”
@shufaa_big_heart:
“MashaAllah, everything happens for a reason.”
