Former child TV star returns to our screens a decade later

Yvonne Maingey on the set of NTV. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA

What you need to know:

  • Yvonne Maingey, 27, who pioneered the practice of having children as the faces of Kenyan television programmes, is back on the screen.
  • The beauty with brains and a PhD candidate in climate change spoke to EVELYNE MUSAMBI on her decade away from the media spotlight, her passion for the environment and what viewers need to watch out for from her starting this Friday during the 1pm news bulletin.

Tell us about your family background and where you grew up.

I grew up on a family farm in Athi River, where I was always outside running around with cows. My father is Kamba and my mother Somali and I am a firstborn in a family of three children.

My younger sister is also very academically focused (giggles) and is actually doing her second master’s (degree) and lives in Australia. My younger brother is studying to be a pilot and lives in Kenya.

How was it for you, growing up as a child presenter, and did it affect your childhood?

When I started “Club Kiboko” I was the only child presenter on television. It was a very exciting thing to come in, and I loved being on camera and always felt so comfortable.

It made me a lot more confident about myself. I used to be in the top five in class, but when I started hosting the show I started topping in class.

I was always very active in Unep (United Nations Environmental Programme) as a youth advisor. I fused my work with both Unep and “Club Kiboko”, where I interviewed prominent people like Wangari Maathai and Nelson Mandela.

I handed over the show at age 17 to prepare myself for university. Because of my good academic performance, I got a scholarship.

I studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where I pursued a law degree, graduating with first-class honours. I then proceeded to do a master’s degree in environmental education at New York University facilitated by my previous engagements with Unep.

You are currently pursuing your PhD in climate change, why the change of fields?

I am happiest while in school, so I have always wanted to study — that is why after my degree I enrolled for master’s (and) then for a PhD.

I think I have always been an academician, hence making climate change an interesting field, which I researched more on.

After I finished my master’s (degree), I wanted to be a climate change activist. And when I moved back (to Kenya), the University of Nairobi had established the Institute of Climate Change and was advertising its PhD programme, which I applied for and got accepted. Interestingly, I am the youngest in my class. I am now in my second year.

I have finished my coursework and am about to start working on my thesis.

At the same time, I continued working for Unep’s Tunza programme that I was part of when I was the youth adviser and so they rehired to do strategy review and plan, for the next five years, how the programme will engage with different age groups.

Owing to my interest in climate change, I realised I wanted to study the integration of national development and climate change, so I am assessing how the Lapsset (Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport) project will affect the availability, sourcing and distribution of water in Lamu.

Consequently, with the predictions of climate change, I am looking at how we can help communities in Lamu adapt.

Have you struggled at any point to get to where you are, or are you a rich kid who gets it all.

(Laughs) People have this assumption that I just grew up with a lot of money around, probably because of how I speak.

To be perfectly honest, I grew up in a humble background — my parents are farmers.

For example, my dad gave up his job as an accountant when we were kids to be a farmer, so we didn’t have a silver platter when growing up.

I joined Hillcrest Secondary School on a full scholarship. And even at LSE (London School of Economics) my parents could not afford my fees — they were struggling with export regulations.

I remember there was a time when horticultural produce was not exported. We were blessed as my sister and I worked so hard to get scholarships and even her, she was on a partial scholarship at Hillcrest. We went through school pretty much on merit as our parents never had the money. My mother wanted to be a lawyer, but when she got married she became I housewife.

When I was pursuing law, it was kind of a dream come true for her.

How did you make a comeback to the media industry? Was it passion or money that attracted you back?

I am a saved Christian and I was at our church presenting at the graduation of a programme we had.

NTV’s Mark Masai, who was at the church, was impressed by my presentation, so he took my contacts and the next thing I was being called for a screen test, and the same evening I was called, I was asked to report the following day.

I thought it was for another interview, but when I arrived, they offered me the job!

I had been offered a great platform to advance the issues I am passionate about: climate change, (the) environment and development sustainability.

I will be working in the news department, where I want to be the environmental specialist. I hope to aid in increasing NTV’s coverage of environmental news.

People should expect to see an authoritative voice on environmental issues and a person with a lot of academic experience in issues she is talking about.

Where did this passion for the environment start and is Kenya in the right direction when it comes to adopting policies that conserve environment?

Environmental issues have been part of me ever since I was in school, as I started an environmental club in Hillcrest due to the interest I had while watching Wangari Maathai fighting for the environment.

I think environmental issues have taken a step back now that Wangari is not here and that is why I have resolved to be an environmental activist and (to fight for) climate justice.

We are at a place where people think climate change is a western problem and still do not understand what it is really.

We just discovered oil in Turkana — yes, that is a great and it’s bound to be a blessing.

But the oil we discovered is black oil and so we need to be careful while growing our economy not to depend on non-renewable energy that can make us become the largest greenhouse gas emitters.

How we ensure mistakes made by developed economies are not replicated (here), how we ensure we use renewable energy.

Those are issues I will give a face to through the media now that I am excited to be part of Nation Media Group.

For the coal discovery, too, we have to be careful. Of course, the hope is that we can slowly move away from non-renewable (sources of energy).

There is a need to start internalizing energy sources and think carefully about how to generate power from renewable sources. The government ought to support people dealing with renewable energy. I have a friend who makes solar panels and has to struggle with taxes and even compete with cheaper imports.

We need to support our own.

You have been recognised several times for your work, especially on the environment. Tell us about the awards.

It is really humbling when people think that you are good enough for an award, especially when you are doing something you like and are aiming high.

I got the Eve Young Woman of the Year Award when I started doing “Club Kiboko”. I was also given a United Nations Personality in Kenya Award and a Unep Young Environmental Envoy Award.

Also, academic awards like the Hillcrest Award for Outstanding A-Level Results. While I was at LSE I used to do a show for the campus radio station and won the Best Presenter Award for that.

How long do you plan to stay in media and what media-related activities do you hope to venture into?

That is a difficult question (laughs), because I never even planned to be in the media in the first place. I think I will be led by God to where he wants to take me.

Right know, I wanted a platform and this is a great platform to set the  environmental agenda. I love how the media give one power to set the agenda and hold people accountable.

I always want to be sort of an influencer.

I often watch people like Christiane Amanpour and Linus Kaikai when they are interviewing policymakers and I like what they do.

I once watched Mr Kaikai when he covered Wangari some years back and I admired his coverage on environmental issues.

We really need to be change agents and use the power we have as the media to hold people accountable for environmental and climate change injustices.

Are you ready for cyberbullying that comes with television fame?

I think that although things have changed and there is social media, I have been through bullying when I was a child presenter.

I used to be bullied a lot in school, as people saw me on the show and I used to do well in school and as a result there were so many people criticising me.

I remember an incident where I was kicked a whole day in school as I had a “kick-me” poster on my back, which I did not know about (laughs).

So being bullied has been part of me and I have become strong.

I know it will be worse than what I experienced in those years, but I will just take everything with a pinch of salt and have faith in God that He will fight my battles.

Again I have a very strong and supportive family that helps me get through it, as we are a unit and I would cry in school, come home, tell my mother and she would inform the teachers, although she knew when to step back.

She even supported me when I was (presenting) “Club Kiboko” and would bring me to the studio and stay with me till I was done with the show, not like she didn’t have anything to do (laughs) other than waiting for someone.

In the world of academia, what is next for you?

I want to lecture on environmental issues, and with my PhD I will be able to do that.

I would also love to advice the government, not really work with the government but advice on the policies surrounding the environment and the climate change impact of development projects.

In the environment, who are your mentors and what contributions have they made to conserve the environment?

Executive Director of Unep Achim Steiner, whom I have interacted with several times, has environmental issues at heart and has steered the organisation well.

Then, of course, environmentalist Bill McKibben, whose work in his organisation, 360.org, is incredible. Locally, there is a woman called Lorna Rutto, who recycles plastic waste and makes fencing posts and I like her work.

What do you like indulging when you are not working?

I love reading, and any time I would just find a good book to read. I also love cooking and baking and spending quality time with my family.

I also love hiking too and travelling.

So are you married, dating or single?

(Laughs)That is the one thing I will always keep to myself. I was once advised never to discuss my personal life and that is exactly what I am going to do.