Janet Mbugua: I miss being on TV

Janet Mbugua doesn't speak Swahili fluently that Mombasa residents are known for. Her parents hail from Embu but raised Janet and her two siblings in the coastal town until they were adults enough to fend for themselves. 

Growing up in Mombasa, a town she is so fond of describing as "my healing place" Janet never imagined she would ever end up in the media and even far much better, become one of the best Television News anchors in the country.

"I wanted to become a Sociologist. Never in my world did I ever dream of becoming a TV News Anchor because growing up I was a little bit of a misfit. I was a tomboy, skinny, scrawny, and many times I was made fun of because of my deep voice." Janet says as she takes her seat next to a fireplace.

Since quitting her plum job at Citizen TV in April 2017, the mother of two  has  given a few  media interviews until now when we met at the Fairview Hotel.

Her Television journey started when she joined Brookhouse International School in Nairobi after completing her studies at Loreto Convent Mombasa.

"It was an expensive shift. I come from a family that really valued education but also how you spend money. I remember my parents sitting down with my twin brother and me warning us that if we fail, when they had paid so much school fees, then they will have to send us back to the village in Embu,"

At Brookhouse, Janet got exposed to public speaking and debates. One of her teachers noticed her oratory skills and advised her to forge a path in media.

The 37-year-old would later join a college in South Africa to study media before shifting to a University in Malaysia for her Bachelor's degree.

Before moving to Malaysia, Janet got a job at Pulse FM radio in Mombasa where she worked for three months then joined Capital FM in Nairobi for one year before going overseas.

When Janet returned, she tried rejoining the late billionaire Chris Kirubi's radio station but there was no vacancy.

"Eve De Souza whom we grew fond of was still at Capital FM. She advised me to go across the road and try my luck at KTN. I was a little bit hesitant because I now believed I was made for radio and not TV but Eve insisted," Janet who was 23 then, recounts.

Armed with a demo screen test in which she played a TV presenter for one of her colleagues' study projects at the University, Janet dropped it at I&M towers which houses part of KTN's operation.

A few days later, she received a call from the station to go for an audition of a Travel Magazine show host, which was returning for a second season. Janet was picked.

By the time the show was ending, Janet's charisma, confidence, and eloquence while on set hadn't gone unnoticed.

"I was back home in Mombasa, the show having taken a break when I received a call from Farida Karoney (Now, Cabinet Secretary for Lands and then a director at KTN) and she said 'I want you back here so that I can train you and put you on news'."

Janet was put on late-night news, then, the one o'clock bulletin and in June 2009, she went to Prime News time together with former anchor Esther Arunga.

Just a few months into her new role, Janet got an opportunity to join eTV in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"Arunga and I were headhunted for the job. I remember us having a conversation and Esther said she wasn't leaving because we had just landed a promotion. I told her I will take my chances."

Janet departed for Johannesburg in September of 2009 but was back in the country after a two-year stay leaving in a huff citing xenophobia and bureaucracy that frustrated her into getting a work permit.

All this while Janet kept her lines open with Karoney who had since left KTN and joined Citizen TV to build a team that would cover the 2013 general election.

She was immediately roped in by Citizen TV and was paired with Hussein Mohammed as they forged a formidable pair.

Her move to join Citizen became the talk of the town with one of the worst rumours emerging, which Janet describes as one of the lowest moments in her career.

"The biggest rumour was that I was earning Sh800, 000 a month having been 'poached' from South Africa. It was damaging because when you enter the newsroom with that kind of gossip there is already resentment. The rumor also reported that cameramen were getting Sh30,000,"

After 10 years in the mainstream media, Janet resigned to focus on running the Inua Dada Foundation she started while still at Citizen.

At the time, the smiling assassin had just had her first child and was also experiencing burnout. She needed a break.

Janet was motivated to start the Inua Dada Foundation in 2014, a year after they aired a feature 'Period of Shame' that highlighted the plights of many girls in different parts of the country who couldn't afford sanitary towels due to the abject poverty they lived in.

"It bugged me that I could easily afford pads while some girl somewhere in Kenya couldn't. I decided to start a campaign then later the foundation to do distribution of pads and offer menstrual education. I got a lot of support, including from the first lady (Margaret Kenyatta) who joined the movement."

Over time, Inua Dada Foundation has rolled out a number of initiatives such as Ha2tasita- a youth call to action, as well as 25 Voices to speak out on Gender-based violence (GBV). Janet also says,

“Covid-19 has made inequality worse. Even though there’s progress in advancing the rights and justice of women and girls, the pandemic showed a rise in GBV, more school dropouts and rising cases of teen pregnancy. I also believe we all need to take a mental health check. I’m passionate about therapy and I think we need to normalize conversations on mental health, even with children”, she adds.

The support has been incredible so far, with a number of organizations and individuals reaching out to collaborate with her.

 “It’s been great being able to work with and learning from people like Melinda Gates, world renowned philanthropist, who I’ve been fortunate enough to interact with, regarding discussing Gender Equality rights, which she is constantly championing for.”

Other projects works on include the #Better4Kenya campaign, which works with influencers to amplify Gender Equality issues, as well as Family Planning awareness. Other #Better4Kenya highlights include the Generation Equality Kick-Off Party.

One of our notable conversations as #Better4Kenya, was teaming up with Equality Now to host a series of conversations dubbed #YourVoiceMatters - a 10 part series that amplified GBV conversations, with an aim to hold the government accountable to end GBV by 2026.

Ever since switching to media and advocacy, Janet shares a number of her achievements.

"I was honoured to moderate a global panel ahead of the G7 summit, unpacking ways of getting more funding to these women who are at the frontlines in addressing harmful cultural practices".

She was also selected to moderate the UN inter-Generational Dialogues Event with a panel convened by UN Women.

"It was a youth-focused forum that invited young people to take up their spaces in the spheres of advocacy and included a heartbreaking testimonial on GBV.

Mbugua has also written a digital book 'My First Time' a tool that champions her advocacy.

Even then, she still misses being on TV. She plans to go back in the new future and already a number of offers have been thrown at her.

"Right now I'm enjoying the work I'm doing with my foundation combining media and advocacy. I'm enjoying the public speaking engagements, the collaborations with brands, and motherhood. These are the things am so passionate about," Janet says. 

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