Former Citizen TV investigative journalist Purity Mwambia went into exile in the US following her exposé on rogue cops that earned her death threats.
Mwambia on May 30, 2023, appeared at a conference organised by the United States Department of State to discuss the unique challenges faced by women in the news industry.
The celebrated journalist was part of a panel discussion hosted by the Bureau of Global Public Affairs. One of the sessions was on women living in exile because of their journalistic work.
Mwambia recalled how life was tough in exile, admitting she had not accomplished much in her career in the two years that she has been living in the US since she fled Kenya.
“Thank you for this opportunity. My challenges are not very different from other investigative journalists in exile. First of all, when you come here from your country where you’ve done big stories, you’ve quoted all these people who are doing some corruption, big shots in the government… but believe me, when you come here, it’s like your voice is silenced," Mwambia said.
“It’s hard to navigate the US media landscape, especially for global journalists. It’s so hard. I’ve been here for two years and I’ve only been able to do one story with one of the local companies," she added.
Abandoned
The former Citizen TV journalist further revealed that she was abandoned by the organization that took her into exile in America after she fled Kenya when she received death threats.
Mwambia lamented that she was on the verge of becoming homeless as she stares at an uncertain future in America.
"Some who come here say it is like the American dream but has its own challenges. You find yourself in a place where there is no one to talk to, no one to run to. Personally, I was brought here by an organisation and they abandoned me. They left me, I’m on the verge of homelessness because I don’t know what to do next.
“Every day when I walk past all these metro buses and I see these homeless people. It’s one of those stories I would have loved to tell as a journalist, but now I walk as if I’m literally in their shoes, not knowing what’s going to happen to me,” Purity Mwambia said.
Guns Galore
Purity Mwambia went into exile in 2021 after her exposé 'Guns Galore' shed light on how rogue police officers and soldiers were hiring out their guns to thugs.
The investigative exposed corrupt police officers who gave their guns, bullets, uniforms and handcuffs to criminals to commit crimes in return for a cut from what they got from the criminal activities.
Mwambia fled to the US after receiving threats to her life from corrupt people within the security agencies who were offended by the investigative.
