Jeoffrey Kuria, aka Jeff Kuria, ranks among the most popular Kikuyu media personalities in Kenya.
His heavy, commanding voice, work ethics, and humbleness are among the factors that have endeared him to fans and placed him at the pinnacle of Kikuyu radio broadcasting.
He currently cohosts the breakfast show Hagaria alongside the ever-jovial Mugithi queen Nyoks. He is also a very competent master of ceremonies, a comedian, and an actor.
Here is his journey as told by WoK:
Early Life
Jeff was born on 10th August 1986. He attended Nguriounditu primary school in Kiambu and later St Joseph’s Mtetetu secondary school in Embu.
After high school, Jeff decided to leave home and look for work. He allegedly trekked the from Kikuyu to Embu, all in search of greener pastures.
At Embu, he worked as a second-hand clothes seller, a hotel cook, and offloaded cargo at a local supermarket.
Things in Embu were moving too slowly for the ambitious Jeff, so he decided to move to Nairobi, where several of his relatives resided.
There, he worked as a farmhand and saved enough money to study journalism at the Technical University of Kenya.
He also tried his hand at entrepreneurship, rearing chicken and selling charcoal. However, his passion was to be an actor.
Consequently, despite discouragements from friends and family, Jeff decided to try his luck at the Kenya National Theatre in 2005.
There, he landed various gigs, including working with organizations like the Global Achievers Group to educate the public about HIV/ AIDs and gender equality.
These jobs did not pay much, but they allowed him to connect with popular people in the entertainment industry, such as Rev. JJ Gitahi.
His prospects changed for the better when he met famous Kikuyu comedian Kihenjo, who connected him to emceeing gigs at churches, hotels, and other events.
Around this time, his friends and colleagues started commending his heavy voice, suggesting that he was cut out for a radio career.
Radio Career
One day, Kikuyu gospel musician Joseph Waweru hired Jeff to voice over his life story at an album launch.
As payment, Jeff asked to be introduced to one of the staff at Radio Citizen, with whom Waweru was well connected. He had decided to pursue a radio career.
Waweru promised he would, but they would not meet again for a year.
Seeing that nothing was working in Kenya, Jeff travelled to Tanzania in 2006 and was hired as a voice-over artist at East Africa Radio.
However, due to salary delays, he resigned and moved to Radio Salaam in Mombasa, where he worked until 2007.
That same year, Waweru kept his promise and introduced Jeff to Zulu Thiongo, then the head of programs at Inooro Fm. Zulu was impressed with Jeff’s voice. He invited him to attend auditions as a radio presenter at Inooro the following Monday.
The following week, Jeff arrived for the interview at the Royal Media station early in the morning, desperate to make a good impression. However, he had to wait over six hours for a meeting with Zulu.
Tired and hungry, Jeff was finally interviewed. He landed a job as a voiceover artist and script writer for commercials at Radio Citizen and Inooro fm.
Through the years, he rose through the ranks to become a fully-fledged radio presenter, hosting his own highly successful shows.
Net Worth
Although Jeff’s net worth is not within the public domain, he owns an entertainment company called Hafla Entertainment, which offers event management, emceeing, and deejaying services.
He also owns a YouTube channel where he interviews Kikuyu celebrities. The channel has over 250 000 subscribers.
He is married, although he keeps his family life private.
