Jamila Mohamed is a distinguished Kenyan journalist whose rise to media stardom illustrates a career built on educational foundations, passion and purpose.

As she turned 45 years old, Jamila summarized her journey in powerful photos that captured her growth over the years.

She joined the media at a time when one could easily count the number of women journalists and has made great strides in the media industry while remaining humble in her achievements.

Jamilla who is aged 45 years old lost her father when she was only eight years old and credits her mother for the making her the woman she is today.

She spent part of her childhood in Kericho where she attended primary school and later moved to Nairobi for high school education and college.

“I look up to my mother; she’s my all-time hero. My father passed away when I was only eight years old. I still miss him daily.  My mother took care of my sibling and I, in Kericho and ensured we had a normal childhood in the absence of our father. I schooled in Kericho for my primary school, then later came to Nairobi for my high school education and college,” Jamila said in a past interview with Citizen TV.

Jamila got her first job at IQRA FM in the year 2000 with no training in the media. She secured a job as a sales representative at the station that had just been launched with her background in IT.

My entry into the media is an interesting one because I started as a sales representative at IQRA FM in 2000. At the time, I had no media training; my competence was in IT from the Diploma I had.

Opportunity, passion and luck converged and worked to her favour as she was picked to read news after the newsreader on duty did not show up for work.

“One day while I was in the office, the newsreader on duty did not show up, the head of news at the time rushed into the newsroom and asked the first person he saw (me!) to help out, and that is how I read my first bulletin. I have never looked back.” Jamila reflected in a past interview.

She smoothly transitioned to the new role and worked at the radio station for two years and building her profile as a journalist, backed by experience.

When NTV came calling two years later, Jamila knew it was time to wear bigger shoes and joined the Kimathi Street-based media giant for a stint that lasted 16 years.

While captivating audiences with her brilliant mastery of the Swahili language, she rose through the ranks from a junior reporter/news anchor to Managing Editor, scooping several awards and working her way to become one of Kenya’s top talents in the media.

Keen on advancing her career and positioning herself strategically for future opportunities, Jamila went back to school and attained her Bachelor’s degree while working for NTV.

She topped it up with a Master’s degree graduating with an Executive Masters in Media Leadership and Innovation (EMMLI) with a distinction in 2023.

It is while working at NTV that she also got married and had five children.

In 2018, Jamila parted ways with NTV and found a new home at Royal Media Services’ Citizen TV.

This new chapter of her career saw her take charge of newsroom operations, story planning and news coverage while also gracing the screens with her calm on-screen presence and eloquence.

Alongside her colleagues, Jamila has contributed in making Citizen TV the number one TV station in Kenya in terms of viewership and revenue.