By Prudence Minayo
She is the first woman in Kenya to host a morning radio show. She outspoken, obviously talented and has inspired many to follow in her footsteps. Her ability to connect with listeners and tackle different topics made her one of the best female radio presenters of our time, with many referring to her as the “radio queen.” Caroline Mutoko is a Kenyan journalist with over a decade in the radio Industry.
Caroline is a managing director, a weekly columnist in the star newspaper and a marketing director at radio Africa. She commands a big following on social media platforms which she effectively uses to market brands and pass useful information to her fans.
Age
She was born on 4th January 1973.
Education
Caroline attended Loreto Convent Valley Road High School. She joined the University of Nairobi where she attained a BA in Economics and Sociology. She is also graduate of Harvard Business School and UCLA Anderson School of Management. Mutoko is also an undergraduate at Strathmore University pursuing a course in Women Emerging Leaders.
Family
The radio queen was born and raised in a stable family. She is the daughter to Chris and Rose Mutoko and has three siblings, two sisters and a brother. Mr. Chris and Mrs. Rose Mutoko have been married for over 40 years.
Caroline has never been married but she open to the idea of marriage only that she is yet to find the right man. She is a mother of one daughter, Theodara Nduku. Theodara was adopted by Caroline back in 2011 when she was just eight months old. Caroline has once stated her daughter is one of the reasons she works so hard. She wants to ensure that Nduku has the best life.
Career
From an early age, she learnt the virtues of working hard.
At the age of 17, she started working as a messenger, about two weeks after completing high school.
“I have transitioned from a messenger. Yes. What job do you think I got after fourth form? My mother had this everlasting fear about the guys who hang in the hood. She knew they’d be the end of me so the first thing my mother did was get me a job.”
Later, she joined the University of Nairobi and having her own money was still the goal. She got a job as a waitress during her university days then graduated to a messenger for Lady magazine during holidays. From there, she became a model before taking a job as a bank teller.
Her radio career started at Capital FM where she worked 7 days a week. She was not entitled to a salary but that was not a problem for her since she was acquiring lifetime training skills.
The skills acquired from Capital FM enabled her to get a job at the radio Africa owned station Kiss 100 FM. At Kiss 100, she hosted a morning show, The Big Breakfast Show alongside Nyambane, real name, Walter Mong’are. The breakfast show grew in popularity and so did Caroline as a host. She has risen through the ranks to become a marketing director at Radio Africa.
The experienced show host also got a chance to chair the Kenya Tourist Development Authority and is actively involved as a civil rights activists.
Other Ventures
The mother of one is also a real estate investor. According to online sources, she owns properties in Kitengela, Rongai, Nanyuki and Mombasa and a house in Rosslyn Heights, Nyari.
She also has a YouTube channel with 206k subscribers and has posted over 600 videos. Through the channel, she tackles a number of important subject matters. She gives advice to women as well as youths on different topics, like, smart spending.
The outspoken media personality is also a corporate MC and had done brand endorsements and marketing through her social media platforms.
Had she not been a journalist, she would have been a teacher.
Salary
It is not clear how much she earns on a monthly or even yearly basis. One can draw the conclusion that through her job and investments, she is able to afford a comfortable lifestyle for both her and her daughter.
