Why Anita Quit Teen Republic

                   Anita Nderu               PHOTO:COURTESY

By Rose Kwamboka

Pulse: Your move from TV where you had become the big brand running the Teen Republik show was received with pessimism in some quarters. Do you think joining radio was a good move?

Anita: Lets say I don’t regret the move. I like taking risks. I am a go-getter. People may not like what you do sometimes, but the final decision should be from you. I like jumping into the deep end.

P: The whole TV celebrity persona did not derail your focus… I mean, with your face being on TV?

A: Honestly, the whole celebrity thing has never gotten into my head. However, I miss the interactive nature that was Teen Republik as well as being in front of the camera. The less serious bit of me used to come out in the show.

P: It has been a month and a half since. What are the main challenges so far?

A: I have discovered that hosting a TV show is easier as people can relate with you more easily. I mean, they have a face to look at. But in radio, your voice is your only tool to command an audience. My fans, therefore, say my accent has become more pronounced. Believe me, I find radio more fun even as I continue taking lessons to perfect my act.   

P: You are one of the youngest presenters to land a job at Capital FM. Do you feel any pressure fitting into the shoes of Laura Walubengo?

A: Laura was quite perfect in what she did and I must commend her for that. She is my mentor. They say that going to Capital is like graduating in media school. It is like a passage. So far, I have leaned priceless lessons. Anchoring news has always been my first love.

P: Where did you grow up?

A: Well, I was born and bred in Eldoret before moving to Uganda.

P: Why did you go to Uganda?

A: I had been in a day school and most of my friends had been to boarding schools and claimed it was fun. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, I asked my parents to take me to a boarding school as well. Since they had been told that Kenyan boarding schools were not the best, they preferred putting me up with my brothers in Uganda at Vienna College.

P: How did you like it there?

A: It was more of a holiday camp than anything else. Ugandans are kind and friendly and I ended up extending my stay there. Though the Cambridge system was a bit involving, most people considered me a smarty pant. I proved it when I topped in history during the mock exams.

P: You are still in school. How is it juggling books and the mic?

A: My classes are in the evenings while I handle all my work-related issues during the day.  The two do not clash as such.

P: You were rumoured to be working on a project with CNN…

A: Well, I was attached at Grace Makosewe’s events organising company where I gathered a load of experience. During the election period, I was featured on CNN as a youth representative to speak on youth and elections. However, that was overshadowed by the controversial headlines CNN had been running at that period on violence in Kenya. That is how the CNN story came up.

P: You were also featured in an international magazine two months ago. What was that about?

A: South Africa’s The African Scholar magazine featured me on their cover for the April to June issue as a youth making waves. It was such a great honour, to say the least.

P: If you were to get anyone’s closet, whose would it be?

A: My cousin, Sarah Hassan’s. Too bad her shoes are a size bigger and her curvaceous body wouldn’t allow me fit into her clothes!