Journalist Brian Obuya recounts rejecting Ksh8M bribe from govt official
Investigative journalist Brian Obuya on Monday, March 24, 2025, shared an intriguing experience during the course of his duty where he says he rejected a bribe worth millions from a government official.
In a statement, while commemorating his 30th birthday, the former NTV journalist noted that his decision to turn down the offer was received with much criticism from his cameraperson at the time.
“As I turn 30, I have seen bad things buana … one was to reject a Ksh8M bribe casually offered by a government official in a kibandaski (local eatery),” Obuya said.
Disgruntled cameraperson
“My cameraperson almost swallowed me buana.”
Obuya equally narrated that he was once faced with wild allegations that he was romantically involved with a married woman when he was just chilling in his house in Mirema, a story he says he will soon talk about.
“Then, end of 2022 – nimelala tu (I was asleep) in my dusty one bedroom in Mirema, natumiwa (when I was sent) links how I’ve been found in a married woman’s house by the husband engaging in steamy horizontal movements. One day I’ll tell you the full story,” Obuya teased.
Hard-hitting exposés
Obuya who is known for his hard-hitting exposés including the last one he compiled which targeted extremism in the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church, was fired in a massive layoff which affected several journalists at the Nation Media Group in June 2024.
This came just a few years after he quit working as an investigative reporter with KTN to take the role of Special reports and investigations at the Twin Towers.
The journalist also noted that throughout his journalism career, he has constantly faced the threat of being fired since he joined the profession in 2014 aged only 19.
“I have been fired or there have been advanced attempts to fire me every year of my employment since my first media job at 19,” he revealed.
“It’s been three solid decades of chasing dreams, breaking barriers, and making memories. Happy Birthday, my older self! Here’s to bigger wins, louder laughs, and softer landings.”
Since leaving his job in June 2024, the journalist embarked on his personal projects including that of highlighting the lives of former journalists who once ruled the screens and airwaves in the country.
“Unlike many of my colleagues across media, who are not looking to return to active journalism, you will see me on a TV or radio near you soon because I believe my mission there is not complete. After taking a break in July and August, this September (2024), I challenged myself to something new,” Obuya noted in an earlier post.
“I thought of the many journalists who have told stories that changed the course of history, those who have ruled our airwaves and caused an admiration of sorts among us – yet no one has told their story.”
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Arnold Ngure
General reporter with a bias for crime reporting, human interest stories and tech.
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