- The 35 year old Trevor Ombija was born and raised in Nyakach
- Before he started his career in journalism, he worked as a tout for a couple of years
In order to survive in the highly competitive media industry in Kenya, a journalist must be very good at what he or she does. Trevor Ombija is a remarkable news anchor who has been in the industry for over a decade. He has worked with some of the leading media houses in the country, namely Nation Media Group and now the Royal Media Services.
His finesse in presenting news coupled with his interviewing abilities have earned him a place among the top journalists in the country.
Trevor loves to read and ride bicycles in his free time. He also lives by three quotes:
- The essence of courage does not mean that your heart should not quake but that nobody should know it does.
- No wind favors he who has no direction.
- Psalms 46:10 “ Be still and know that I am God.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Trevor Ombija Age
The news presenter was born on 10th September 1988 in the Nyanza region of Kenya.
Education
Ombija was brought up in a humble background with his father working in the village as a teacher. He attended Anding’o Opanga Secondary school and later joined the University of Nairobi to pursue a Degree in Journalism.
Trevor Ombija a Matatu Tout
The celebrated news anchor did not have it easy. He worked as a matatu tout in Nyakach before he ventured into the world of media.
“I used to be a matatu conductor in that area (Nyakach) for a long time” he told Tuko.
This, he points out, is the reason he has a good relationship with boda boda riders and matatu riders in his village.
“Stopping at the bus stage and interacting with Boda boda operators and the matatu driver is natural for me because I was one of them,” the prime time TV news anchor added.
Trevor Ombija Career
From February 2010 to April 2011, he worked as associate send off facilitator at Global Coordination Organization.
While still pursuing his journalism degree at the University of Nairobi, he was approached by China Central Television Africa (CCTV), which is currently known as China Global Television Network (CGTN). He was taken in as an intern for the television network working as a desktop manager.
In Mid 2013, he started working at Nation FM as a news presenter. He then moved to NTV where he worked as a senior news anchor for five years. While at the station, he presented news, hosted and moderated various panels where political leaders were interviewed.
After 5 years with the Nation Media Group, rumours emerged that he was leaving the media group to join Royal Media Services owned station Citizen TV as a replacement of Joey Muthengi who had been hounded out of the station. The Standard quoted him confirming the News and wondering how it had leaked out.
“Everything that has a beginning has an end. It’s time to go and swim with the sharks. Yes, it is true, I don’t know how it leaked and tomorrow is my last day at NTV. The Media industry is changing and people change too. I have worked at NTV for over 5 years,” he said.
“ I would not want to use the word replace. You can never really replace anyone. Everyone brings their expertise and uniqueness,” he added.
In an interview with Kenyans.co.ke, he revealed that the time was right to leave NTV.
“I had been at NTV for a while and decided it was time to try a new challenge. They (Citizen TV) were number one at the time and I figured it would be a good time to jump into a small fish pond with sharks. All the biggest names were there and I wanted to see if I could compare to them,” he stated.
He joined Citizen TV where he has various roles at the station. They include:
- On Monday, he helps with Monday Special Report.
- On Wednesday, he hosts Daybreak.
- On Thursday, he hosts Bulls and Bear.
- On Friday, he hosts social square.
Speaking to a local news blog, he said the key to a successfully interview is researching about the person you are interviewing including going through their previous interviews and coming up with questions.
Trevor said that some of the interviewees are very difficult to interview, giving an example with Miguna Miguna.
“The most difficult person I’ve interviewed is Miguna Miguna as he is very arrogant and he will tell you things are borderline condescending on live TV. Police spokesman Charles Owino can be very rough and he is the kind who questions you when you pose a question,” he said.
Ombija also runs successful business ventures, from car hire business to owning a restaurant.
Cars
The journalist seems to love the finers things life has to offer. He drives a German machine.
House
When journalists were asked to report news from home, social media users couldn’t help but admire his house which appeared on the background seemed so beautiful, classy and luxurious.
Salary
According to some online sources, he earns Ksh350,000 a month but this may not be an accurate figure as he has never revealed his salary.
Trevor Ombija Girlfriend
The hunk was dumped by his girlfriend of ten years. Speaking to Mpasho, the news anchor revealed how he paid dowry in anticipation of settling down with his lover only to be rejected. Ombija tried to win her back but it was all in vain.
“I am from a relationship that lasted 10 years. It is one of those relationships that were over, then they are back again
I actually took dowry to her home on December 5,2015, then akaniacha. She said that she needs to find herself,” he told Mpasho.
“Nilijaribu kuforce issues for a while! You know when you are dumped and then you try to insist that you can work it out. Ukiachwa achika. I have accepted and am fixing myself,” he shared his heartbreak story with the publication.
The news anchor said that he was single and not ready to get entangled in another relationship.
“I was badly heart broken, i am single, not looking. I need to fix myself first. Everybody deserves the best version of the other person.
Don’t go into a relationship when you are broken. Right now I will admit it,” he said.
