It easy to pinpoint his voice in an advert even when you can’t see his face. Johnson Mwakazi has risen through the ranks of the media to become a house hold name. It’s the way he reads his news, his deep and throaty voice which gives whatever he is reading a sense of meaning that sets him apart from the rest.
Johnson’s journey of success to eventually become an icon in the media industry hasn’t been a rosy one. This he revealed at Turning Point International and by sharing his inspirational life story to
ZETECH college students.
Where did Johnson grow up?
I was born in Kibera that’s where I have lived all my life. My mum used to work as a cleaner in the nearby fertile suburbs of Woodley Estate earning three thousand shillings per month. We lived in a mad house and of course no water . You take a bath once a week
When it came to washrooms or toilets, we had to go round and, of course, sometimes during the night it could be dangerous because you don’t know who you’re going to meet along the way, so you had to help yourself inside the house and probably in the morning try to sort it out.
Who did he look up to while growing up?
I grew up without a role model. My father was a drunkard. He lost his job and it was a tight moment especially for my mother, really trying to support the family at the same time working in town as a cleaner.
Where did he go to school?
Back then, going to school was a privilege but she [mother] managed to take me to Kichinjioni Nursery School after which I joined Kibera Primary School. Upon my completion, I proceeded to join Jamuhuri High School, Nairobi.
What challenges did he face while in high school?
At Jamuhuri, I went through identity crisis. The school was mainly comprised of students from well off families, hence they used to despise one basing on where they reside from. I used to lie to them that I come from Woodley Estate and not Kibera to avoid mockery.
What journey did he take after high school?
Unfortunately after his high school education, his mum received a letter of redundancy from her place of work thus the beginning of tough times ahead in their family. Mwakazi then decided to venture into performing arts at the Kenya National Theatre (K.N.T.) in order to try make ends meet.
“I used to walk from Kibera to town daily in search of other employment opportunities. I am a staunch Christian and churchgoer thus did not relent in my quest of making it in life.”
How did he choose to stand out despite his background?
He learnt to associate himself with forward thinking people despite coming from an area where discipline was a vocabulary. He also had and walked with his mentor in life who instilled sense in him.
“I was surrounded by positive thinking people. I never gave up in life and always did what I was passionate about (acting) because the sky was the limit for me.”
How did he break into the media industry?
While acting at K.N.T, he managed to bump into someone who helped him secure a two year contract at Royal Media’s Hot 96 radio station to voice over in various advertisements and commercials after which he received his first income: a four thousand shillings cheque six months after the advertisements.
How did he land in anchoring for Citizen News?
While working under contract, with no tertiary education backing his high school credentials, Citizen TV was looking for news anchors for the Power Breakfast Show. Fortunately for him, being in the system already, he was given an opportunity to permanently work for the organization.
What did he do after securing the top job?
Immediately after securing the job, I went to church and shared my testimony on how I managed to secure the top job, the fact I had not studied journalism or any media-related course, notwithstanding
After the service he was approached by one lady from the congregation who heard his desperate need for higher education and thus offered to pay for his tuition fee for the entire period he was to study.
“I used my first salary at Citizen TV to pay half my school fee and the lady paid the rest.”
What does he think of the media?
The media industry is a world in itself because it has the ability to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent. You need to humble oneself in life in order for you to survive and be successful. For whoever humbles himself shall be exalted and the one that exalts oneself shall be humbled by nature’s cruelty.”
What advice does he have to give?
There are three important P aspects in life that he finds appropriate in development as youth aspiring to reach greater heights in life. Purpose (reason of being at a place), Principle (truth that when effected produces a force that accomplishes a certain purpose in life), and Perfection (the art of not being satisfied about average; going for excellent).
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