Shiksha Arora calls out Kenyan media hosts for putting on fake foreign accents
By Ascah Mwango, September 4, 2025Media personality Shiksha Arora has spoken out against Kenyan radio and TV presenters who fake American and British accents while on air.
In a TikTok video posted on Thursday, September 4, 2025, Arora said there is no need for broadcasters to imitate American or British accents to sound professional.
She stressed that presenters should instead embrace their Kenyan identity and speak naturally, as this builds trust and relatability with listeners and viewers.
“PSA, you do not need to put on an American or British accent to be on the radio or TV. You can sound Kenyan, you can own your Kenyan accent because that is who you are, you should be proud of it,” she said.
Her remarks, she said, were inspired by a recent experience where she tuned in to a local radio station and noticed a presenter struggling to maintain a fake accent. This, she observed, not only sounded forced but also distracted from the message being delivered.
“I was in the car driving, and I heard a radio presenter, and she was putting on an accent, and it was so obvious,” she said.
Arora further noted that faking accents often leads to mispronunciations, which weakens communication and can confuse audiences. She encouraged media personalities to concentrate on clarity, proper pronunciation, and confidence in their natural voices rather than imitating foreign styles.
In her view, authenticity is what endears presenters to their audience. By staying true to themselves, she argued, they can communicate more effectively and build stronger connections without the pressure of trying to sound like someone they are not.
“You do not need to put on an accent that will make you mispronounce words. Just talk clearly, pronounce words well, or don’t pick an accent. Own your identity, and everyone is gonna love you because you’re not trying to be someone that you are not,” she said.
Shiksha Arora is a well-known Kenyan media personality, journalist and content creator. She is popularly called “the Dancing Anchor” because of her lively TikTok videos that went viral in 2021.
She has previously worked at K24 TV and KBC before joining TV47 in 2024. Away from news, she is also a dancer, model and digital creator with a large following on social media.