IDEA MAGAZINE September-November 2015 | Page 39

THE SOCIAL MEDIA ICON grew up as daddy’s girl. I have two brothers so you can imagine who got all the attention from Papa. We spent a few years (late 80’s) in Kisumu. My mother worked at the New Nyanza District Hospital while my father was a Police Officer in Kisumu. I remember going to Dunga beach and visiting friends who lived in Kondele. I even spoke a bit of dholuo. Over the weekends, I accompanied my father to the farm in Chepkorio. We had a Peugeot pick-up and he would carry molasses for the cows. I can still remember the scent not smell. Hmmm! Then we returned to Nairobi in early 90’s and settled in Langata. I played Shake, Bladder, Kati, Hide & Seek and all the childhood games back in the day. I have very fond memories of my parents. I started “working” in 2001 when I did my internship at the Kenya News Agency. I remember going to the courts, covering village meetings and going to the police station to look for stories. It was a really fun. I also spent some time at Kenya Times under the late Amboka Andere who was Editor-in-Chief. He taught me a lot about feature writing. That is how I found myself in print media. I have never looked back. When it comes to social media, I will safely say that it has given me different platforms to share my thoughts and learn from others. The cost of going online is very cheap and with smart phones, more people can now access information. People can express themselves, market their brands, seek advice from others, and contribute to debates. The ‘www’ is a bottomless pit of