Jeff Koinange is a celebrated journalist, an award-winning TV talk show host and also an anchor in one of the leading stations in Kenya, Citizen TV.
He is well known as the journalist who asks his guests tough and controversial questions, on what is now referred to by his fans and followers as ‘The Bench’.
In many instances, Jeff has been referred to as the best journalist and these are the reasons:
1.Author
Jeff has penned a must-read book called ‘Through My African Eyes’.This book is so rich with insights into the personal and intellectual underpinnings of many historical events in Africa. Not many journalists can juggle the journalism world and engage in writing a best-seller. This is one unique aspect.
2.’Globe Trotting’ Journalist:
Jeff has an advantage over other journalists in Kenya. He has been to 47 of the 54 African countries and covered them. He had a front-row seat to history unfolding in the past two decades while working for Reuters and CNN.
3.Award-Winning Journalist:
He is the first African ever to win a television Emmy and a George Foster Peabody. He merited the Vernon Jarret Award as well as another prestigious French award known as the ‘Prix Bayeux’ for his reportage that arrested global crises.
4.Relatable Journalist:
Jeff is inviting and engaging and this shows that he is extremely serious when it comes to journalism. This is evident with the type of guests he invites on his show. He is not biased,he interviews anyone that has impacted the society; from the presidents, top CEO’s, sportsmen and women, politicians and others who’ve impacted the society in one way or another including children.
5. The ‘Survivor’:
Jeff has had a fair share of lows in the industry. He was fired from CNN after he was accused of stage-managing the Niger Delta story which became a hit globally for its interviews with rebels who had kept the Nigerian government’s security at bay.
He was also accused of date-raping a European lady. It was alleged that he went to interview her and the relationship turned intimate. Jeff, however, survived all that and not many journalists survive even from a minor scandal in the local blogs. This shows that his skills sell more and indeed warrant a second chance.
6.Top Journalist in Kenya
With the proof being in the pudding; through hundreds of profiles to determine who among them had the biggest impact in the media industry in 2019, Jeff was number one for being able to leverage the digital platforms and break glass ceilings in his career
