Citizen TV sports journalist Bernard Ndong has quit the station after a 13-year stint.
In a colourful sign-off on the night of Saturday, June 25, the news anchor was surprised with a cake and heartfelt messages from his colleagues.
The anchor expressed his gratitude for having worked at the Royal Media Services (RMS) alongside legends such as Waihiga Mwaura and Mike Okinyi.
“It has been 13 years. It has been a journey. Thank you so much, I am humbled. 13 years have been a journey and a half. This is Bernard Ndong signing off for the final time,” stated Ndong.
Senior Sports Editor Mike Okinyi – in his farewell message – narrated how Ndong ended up on the sports desk despite having been hired as a sales representative for the media house.
“We were going to studio to do a screen test for Kirigo Ng’arwa and you asked if you could join and I said yes, please join. I remember it was three weeks of hard training and back and forth and when I finally sent the tape to our then-boss Faridah Karoney, she had no doubts and she said, ‘Take Ndong for sports, Kirigo will join breakfast,’ and the rest is history,” narrated Okinyi.
Waihiga Mwaura who also started out at the station’s sports desk said the sports desk was going to have a void after Ndong’s departure but regardless he knew Ndong was going to shine wherever he went.
“To me, you are a brother. You know the journey that we started together 13 years ago. You remember a time we went out for this trip and there was no place to sleep. I remember I slept on the table and you on a chair and that is how our friendship built up from there. The Citizen spots desk will not be the same,” stated Waihiga.
Mukami Wambora her colleague on the desk on her part thanked Ndong for his guidance when she joined the media house.
“A lot of people don’t know this, I’m not a trained journalist I just have a passion for sports so I came in completely raw and Mike and Bernard had to teach me how script, how to edit from the very beginning and I have never felt so supported within a team,” Wambora emotionally narrated.
Victoria Rubadiri said it was her honour to work with Ndong and wished him the best.
Earlier, RMS employees among them Swahili news anchor Lulu Hassan, her English counterpart Sam Gituku and Swahili anchor Swaleh Mdoe held a luncheon in celebration of the anchor.
However, Ndong did not reveal his next move.
