Citizen TV news presenter Jamila Mohammed is one of the talented female journalists in Kenya’s media industry, known for her expertise in anchoring prime-time news, moderating high-profile political debates, and steering national conversations.
Her journey to stardom illustrates a career built on passion and purpose, given that she had never dreamt of becoming a journalist while growing up.
In a past interview on Citizen TV, Jamila revealed she grew up in Kericho, where she attended her primary school, before relocating to Nairobi for her secondary and tertiary education.
“I look up to my mother; she’s my all-time hero. My father passed away when I was only eight years old. I still miss him daily. My mother took care of my sibling and I, in Kericho and ensured we had a normal childhood in the absence of our father. I schooled in Kericho for my primary school, then later came to Nairobi for my high school education and college,” Jamila said.
After high school, she pursued a diploma in IT and then secured her first job as a sales representative at IQRA FM, laying the foundation for who she is today.
”My entry into the media is an interesting one because I started as a sales representative at IQRA FM in 2000. At the time, I had no media training; my competence was in IT from the Diploma I had. Nevertheless, my desire and passion opened the door for me to join the radio newsroom as a newsreader and a reporter,” she narrated.
Her entry into the media industry was by chance after she was picked to read news when the newsreader on duty failed to show up for work.
Joy Wanja: From bank VP at 25 to owning daycare, preschool business in US
“One day while I was in the office, the newsreader on duty did not show up, the head of news at the time rushed into the newsroom and asked the first person he saw (me!) to help out, and that is how I read my first bulletin. I have never looked back,” She added.
She smoothly transitioned to the new role and worked at the radio station for two years before landing another opportunity at NTV.
Jamila worked on NTV for 16 years where she leveraged the opportunity to advance her career and went back to school to attain her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
She transitioned to Citizen TV in 2018 as a Senior News anchor and Managing Editor of the Swahili division, a role she still holds to date.
Throughout her career, she has won several awards, among them the 2025 Kenya’s 50 Most Influential Women by Africapitol.
In 2022, she was honoured for Excellence in Swahili Journalism by the Media Council of Kenya, and was named among the Top 100 Most Impactful Women in East African Media by a regional media consortium in 2023.
