In 2011, Waihiga Mwaura set off from Nairobi to a remote village in Laikipia to document the story of a unique but relatively unknown Kenyan sports team. A young sports journalist at the time, he was armed with the curiosity and determination of a reporter. As he prepared to make the journey to Ilpolei Village, Waihiga believed the story he was after was compelling. He was determined to tell the world about the Maasai Cricket Warriors – a team of Maa cricketers whose unique feature was not how they played the game, but their football jerseys. Sporting their distinctive red shukas and colourful ornaments, these Kenyan athletes are a sight to behold. Additionally, they use the values of the sport to spread awareness on different social causes impacting their community.
The First of Many
The trip was not in vain. The story aired shortly after on Citizen News and Waihiga was certain this story would scale up his career. True to his intuition, he and his cameraman, Jephitha Mwai, clinched the 2012 CNN Multichoice Award in the Sports Category. This was the first feather in his cap and more accolades would soon follow – though at the time he didn’t know that. In fact, just before Waihiga ventured into the media industry, Waihiga was trying to find his path in life.
The Articulate Speaker
Waihiga learned the art of communication from an early age, thanks to his parents who worked as legal professionals. He however didn’t translate this life skill into a career venture. Instead, he opted to study Computer Science when he joined Africa Nazarene University in 2003. His choice was a no-brainer at the time: get a degree that will get him a job. And with the digital era coming into effect during that time, he believed computer science to be his best shot at a well-paying job.
His communication skills further developed even as he chartered this different path. It helped that his peers regularly commended his mastery of language. Once he graduated and completed his internship, Waihiga quickly realized that he had no desire to pursue a career in the IT world. This realization set him on a quest of self-discovery to try and learn where his interests lay.
Taking a Different Route
Waihiga tried his hand at several jobs, including working as a sales agent at a call centre and as a customer service agent, then as a cashier at a bank. As much as he enjoyed interacting with clients, neither job seemed to be the right fit for him. He even ventured out into self-employment but closed shop after an unsuccessful first year. Mild panic set in as he flailed about, seemingly not finding his place. This forced him to step back and take his strengths into account. Again, his mastery of words came to the fore as some in his close circle urged him to give media a shot and he took on the dare.
The Winds of Change
2008 was the year of positive disruption for Waihiga as he began the laborious task of switching careers. To prepare himself, he reached out to people in the media industry and had conversations with them about their work and the available opportunities. He rehearsed reading the news and perfecting his delivery by reciting stories off the newspaper. And he was constantly on the lookout for job ads that would get him into this line of work.
In 2009 he auditioned and landed a presenter role on a television football show called The Talk. The show focused on fighting post-election violence through sports – a relevant theme for the nation slowly recovering from the 2007 tragedy. That same year, he also auditioned to host a youth entrepreneurship show on Citizen TV called Zinduka and landed the job.
The next opportunity led Waihiga to join Citizen TV’s Power Breakfast Show (a morning current affairs program) as a sports anchor. Even after leaving the show in 2012, he remained on the sports desk as a reporter. It is during this period that he honed his craft and began thinking of ways to distinguish himself. Winning the 2012 CNN Multichoice Award instilled confidence in Waihiga about the quality of his work. This left him wanting to do more. Investigative journalism in the sporting world was still untapped and Waihiga chose this path less trodden to set himself apart from his peers.
And the Award Goes to…
In 2015, Waihiga reported his first investigative piece that exposed doping in sports. His story drew attention to the lax measures against doping in Kenya and caught the attention of the World Anti-Doping Agency. This expose won him the inaugural Mo Amin Award and cemented his reputation as an investigative journalist.
The sky was the limit from this point in Waihiga’s career. He went on to investigate other high-profile stories such as the Rio Fiasco that exposed wastage of finances by the National Olympic Committee – Kenya. Then there was the Mara Heist that uncovered the misappropriation of Maasai Mara University’s funds. In late 2016, ready for a new challenge, he became a news anchor as he continued to work on more investigative stories. 
Established in 2015, The BBC Komla Dumor Award recognizes the work of outstanding African journalists. Waihiga received a nomination in 2017 but did not win the award. The second nomination came the next year. With support and coaching from his wife, Joyce Omondi-Waihiga, 2018 became his year to shine. Waihiga became the first Kenyan and first male winner of this award.
The Excellence Continues
His career has moved from strength to strength as he received two more awards in the following years: the Utumishi Bora Awards in 2019, and the Media Council of Kenya Investigative Award in 2021.
No matter the number of accolades, there is always room for growth. In December 2021, Waihiga took up the mantle of Managing Editor at Citizen TV. His current goals are to make the media house’s multimedia desk the best it can be and to keep shedding light on vices through hard-hitting investigative journalism.
Shukran Waihiga, for your dedication to telling Kenyan stories.
#KeExcellence