Royal Media confirms Victoria Rubadiri departure from Citizen TV
Victoria Rubadiri, the esteemed media personality, is bidding farewell to Citizen TV after an illustrious six-year tenure.
Her departure was officially announced on April 28 by Linus Kaikai, the Group Editorial Director of Royal Media Services (RMS).
Kaikai wrote: “We’ve nicknamed #SundayLive the ‘American Edition’ because this duo rolls Uncle Sam’s tongue just right! Sadly but proudly, Vicky Rubadiri is moving on to her next assignment after 6 years at Citizen TV Kenya,” Kaikai said on X.
During her tenure at Citizen TV, she won the prestigious Komla Dumor Award, which will see her temporarily relocate to London for a three-month stint with the BBC in 2020.
Winners of the award are required to complete a three-month training programme with the BBC.
Rubadiri is the sixth recipient of the award and the second Kenyan to win it.
Others were: Solomon Serwanjja, Waihiga Mwaura, Amina Yuguda, Didi Akinyelure and Nancy Kacungira.
Rubadiri, who moved from Nation Media Group in 2018, established herself as a versatile journalist in East Africa, known for her interviews with prominent figures in politics and current affairs.
“Komla was a versatile journalist whose style, while authoritative, was also compassionate, empathetic and uplifting. His ability to present the facts in a comprehensive manner, yet still be attuned to his audience, was something I admired and a skill I seek to emulate,” said Rubadiri after receiving the award.
“I’m excited at the prospect of learning new skills at the BBC to connect with audiences locally, regionally and internationally, no matter what platform the story is told on,” she added.
Rubadiri joins a list of respected news anchors who have left Citizen TV.
Last year, Komla Dumor Award winner Waihiga Mwaura joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as a senior news anchor for its Focus on Africa programme.
In addition, senior political editor Francis Gachuri left to take up a role in the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Administration.
This year also saw the departure of senior reporters Chemutai Goin and Hassan Mugambi, with Goin joining the team of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Mugambi moving to the Ministry of Defence.