SNAPPY 7: Jane Ngoiri
NTV Jioni’s 7pm news anchor Jane Ngoiri is arguably one of the most recognizable faces in Kiswahili news anchoring in Kenya.
Her impeccable command of Kiswahili and her sense of style are some of the things that most of the viewers admire in her. Below, excerpts of Nairobi News’ one-on-one with Jane who confesses that she believes in miracles.
1. Family background – My late father was a Kikuyu and my mother is a Taita. I grew up and went to school in Nairobi. I’ve lived all my life in the city and I grew up as just one of the girls in the neighborhood.
I attended Kongoni Primary School, then Pangani Girls High School and later joined Daystar University where I studied Journalism.
2. Favourite food – Chicken, chicken and more chicken! Give me chicken anytime and I’ll show you how it’s eaten. Fried, barbecue, or biryani… let’s just say I love chicken. I love also love home cooked meals which I know how to prepare very well.
3. Languages – I was an English news reporter at K24 and when one of my colleague fell sick I was told to step in as a Kiswahili news anchor. Since then, I’ve always been anchoring in Kiswahili, but I still anchor in English when called upon. I tried learning French in high school but I failed so I’ve never tried learning any other foreign language.
4. Social life – I love to hang out with my friends, but I don’t take alcohol. I also love travelling – I’ve spent some time in South Africa on holiday. But because of the kind of work I do, I can’t travel as much as I want to.
If I could, I would change the world to become a better place. I go to bed every evening knowing that I have touched someone’s heart in what I do.
5. Fashion and style – I love to be comfortable in what I wear. I was one of the first female anchors to present news on Kenyan television in either a bow tie or a neck tie. Being presentable is very important to me.
6. Lowest point – When I lost my dad to cancer at the age of 78. He was my best friend and I still miss him.
7. Dating – I won’t say anything about that but I will tell you that some day I would love to have two beautiful healthy children.
