Former CS Raphael Tuju Returns To News Anchor Desk At KTN’s ‘Legends Edition’

Former Cabinet Secretary and media veteran Raphael Tuju is set to make a nostalgic return to television as a news anchor for a special broadcast on KTN.

Tuju will anchor tomorrow’s 9 pm prime-time bulletin as part of KTN’s “Legends Edition,” a milestone broadcast marking the station’s 35th anniversary. His return is expected to evoke memories of the early 90s when Kenya’s media landscape was just beginning to diversify.

The Return of a Broadcasting Icon

Raphael Tuju’s career in broadcasting is illustrious: he began as a journalist for the state-run Voice of Kenya (VOK), now KBC, before moving to the newly launched Kenya Television Network (KTN). Notably, Tuju was the first news anchor to appear on KTN when it was launched in 1990, before he transitioned into the political arena.

Politician and businessman Steve Mwanga, who witnessed Tuju’s initial rise, fondly recalled his unparalleled screen presence:

“Tuju embodied the news. His presence was unmistakable. He was a broadcaster designed for the screen and remembered long after the bulletin ended. The camera loved him, the poise of a man completely at ease in the public eye. Add to that, a crisp, cultivated accent and a diction so clean it seemed almost sculpted.”

From Anchor to Political Leader

Tuju’s influence extended beyond the news desk. He worked as a television producer and communications consultant before joining politics. He is also credited with expanding the space for more independent media stations, notably serving as the Minister of Information and Communications when the NARC government came to power in 2003, before later becoming the Minister for Tourism and Wildlife.

In 2008, he was appointed by former President Mwai Kibaki as a special advisor on Media and Diversity Management.

KTN’s “Legends Edition” will celebrate the station’s rich history, which produced many legendary figures, including the late Catherine Kasavuli, Louis Otieno, Beatrice Marshall, Maina Kageni, Swaleh Mdoe, and many others.