Kenyan media industry is not for the fainthearted. It is a land filled with landmines that any journalist looking to succeed must navigate through with utmost care.

But even when qualified and proven, it is easy for a journalist to face open, unwarranted bias. Take Yvonne Okwara who is one of Kenya’s most Tv refined journalists.

Ms. Okwara recently said that she has been subjected to open bias by her bosses in the media industry in Kenya, simply because she is dark-skinned.

The seasoned Citizen TV news anchor said that this is a form of bias that other dark-skinned women in the media face.

In a social media post, Yvonne Okwara also argued that light-skinned female journalists in Kenya, don’t have to work as hard as their darker-skinned colleagues to make it in the media.

She said that this form of discrimination in Kenya’s media sector ought to be taken as seriously as racism.

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Although she didn’t share examples, Ms. Okwara said that light-skinned journalists are considered more beautiful and can ‘get away with murder’.

“We are talking about ‘Black Lives Matter’ but we also need to reflect on our own culture in this part of the world. Especially in this (media) industry. Darker skinned girls and women are treated differently. We have to work twice as hard, be twice as smart to get ahead. I’ve seen privilege that light skin has accorded others. I have seen them get away with murder,” she said.

Okwara added that due to her dark skin, she is expected to be smarter because ‘she doesn’t have the looks’.

“It’s exhausting at times. It needs to change,” she lamented. Okwara started off her career at RMS as a radio journalist.

However, the journalism bug struck her at a tender age. As an eight-year-old, she was a presenter for a Children’s Variety Show at KBC and also did a variety of voice overs.