This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Published on September 10, 2019, Yvonne Okwara, a seasoned Citizen TV news anchor, has shared a harrowing account of her first TV interview gone wrong.
Okwara took to Twitter to recall the incident, which occurred in 2012 when she was still a relatively new face in the industry.
She interviewed a Member of Parliament, but things quickly took a turn for the worse as the MP ran her out of town during the conversation.
Okwara admitted that she was not adequately prepared for the interview and was overwhelmed by the pressure of being on live TV.
"The year is 2012/13. I've been doing prime time news for only a few months. My co-anchor is Ndungu wa Mburu. I have a very important interview with an MP on an issue that affects the media fraternity. The entire industry is watching my interview," she recalled.
Okwara's colleagues were reportedly upset with her, while those in other media houses were dismayed by her performance.
She became the subject of discussion on Twitter, with netizens questioning her qualification for the job.
"I'm trending on Twitter. Words like "bimbo", "slay queen", "nothing between her ears", "hired for her looks, not her brains", she wrote.
Despite the embarrassment, Okwara still had to host the news bulletin that night, and she credited her boss Joe Ageyo for sending her an encouraging message to cheer her up.
"Bad day at the office. You will get through this. Learn from this, you will get better next time," read the message from Ageyo.
Okwara's revelation comes after Inooro reporter Victor Kinuthia faced online backlash for his live reporting mishap.
