For years, Cynthia Nyamai has worked at the intersection of journalism, strategic communications and leadership, gaining experience in newsrooms and the rooms where decisions affecting society are made.
From her time as an award-winning journalist at KTN and KBC to contributing to Forbes Africa and leading CN Communications, Nyamai has built a career that has taken her into government, business, politics and corporate institutions.
Her professional journey has also shaped her understanding of how decisions made by influential people and institutions affect ordinary citizens.
It is this experience that inspired her latest book, The Church Has Left the Building, which challenges Christians to rethink their role in transforming society.
In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Nyamai discussed the inspiration behind the book, the disconnect between Christianity and societal transformation, the importance of African participation in artificial intelligence (AI) and the lessons she has learnt about power and influence.
How did Cynthia Nyamai’s media career inspire her new book?
Nyamai said her professional journey played a significant role in shaping the message behind The Church Has Left the Building.
She explained that journalism taught her to question society, investigate difficult issues and look beyond what people say to understand what is happening.
Her subsequent transition into strategic communications exposed her to the institutions and individuals responsible for making decisions that affect millions of people.
“A decision made in a boardroom can affect millions of people who will never enter that room. A government policy can determine whether businesses thrive. A media narrative can shape how an entire generation thinks,” she explained.
These experiences changed how she viewed the Christian mission of transforming nations.
Nyamai argued that believers cannot limit their participation in society to churches and religious gatherings while remaining absent from the institutions shaping people’s lives.
She believes Christians should also participate in policymaking, business, finance, media and technology if they want to influence society meaningfully.
Her book brings together these professional experiences and her conviction that faith should produce visible change beyond religious spaces.
