Jeff Koinange is a well-known Kenyan journalist. He is currently hosting Jeff Koinange Live on KTN. Koinange worked as a journalist in the US and also worked for some US broadcasters. He was born in Kenya but attended college in the United States, which may explain his accent. There are some interesting things to know about the media personality.
Jeff Koinage Father, Family
Jeff Mwaura Koinage was born on January 7, 1966 to Federick Mbiyu Koinage and Hilda Wambui Ngoima. His father Fedrick was among the sons of the most famous chief of the Gikuyu tribe, Senior Chief Koinage wa Mbiyu. Fedrick’s mother was the third wife of the boss, who married six wives. On the other hand, Jeff’s mother, Hilda was the first child of a wealthy and progressive farmer, Mwaura wa-Ngoima from Githiga village in Githunguri.
Jeff Koinage’s father fell in love with his mother’s sister before the state of emergency was declared in Kenya. Recognizing their great love for each other, Jeff’s father paid the customary dowry for the Ngoima family, but was arrested before he could complete the entire marriage rites. In prison, Hilda’s sister, who was supposed to be his wife, could not wait any longer and ran away with another man.
Hilda, who knew everything that was happening, began to write to Friedrich while she was still in police custody. Initially, Fedrick felt uncomfortable with Hilda’s letters, but he wrote back to her anyway. In one of his letters he recounted what life in the Manyani had been like. Their casual correspondence later fell in love and she began visiting Federick in prison. She later became pregnant and gave birth to Jeff Koinage. Unfortunately, Federick died of a brain hemorrhage exactly two months after Jeff’s birth. The 28-year-old woman single-handedly raised Jeff and his three siblings, Hilda Wanjiru, Phyllis Wangui and Freddie Koinage. Hilda served as the school principal and strict disciplinarian in Kiambaa Village, near Banana Hill in Kiambu County. She was training to be a teacher when she and Frederick began their affair.
Also, he is the grandson of the famous Jeff, Senior Gikuyu Chief Koinage, is also a nephew of Peter Mbiyu Koinange who lived in exile after the state of emergency was declared in the UK. Remember that Peter Mbiyu Koinange was the first Kenyan to obtain a master’s degree. He earned his master’s degree from Columbia University in New York.
Jeff Koinage wife
Jeff Koinange is married to Shaila Koinange, aKenyan of Asian descent. Jeff prefers to keep his personal life private and very little is known about his wife. They have an infant son, Jamal Mbiyu Koinange, who was born late in their marriage. Before Shaila, Jeff was married to Sonya, a Panamanian. He married the lady who was their flight instructor in 1988. However, they broke up in 1994 after he caught her in bed with another man. However, the journalist still considers Sonya very important, as he says that she will remain special to him for the rest of his life. He once described their affair as non-stop sun, sea and sex.
Jeff Koinage Bio, Lesser Known Facts
Jeff Koinange received an associate’s degree from Kingsborough Community University in Brooklyn, New York. He was at college between 1987 and 1989. After winning a scholarship, he also attended New York University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism.
In 1984, before graduating from Kingsborough, Jeff and more than 30 other Kenyans were selected to work as flight attendants. They were trained for eight weeks by PanAm Airlines, which is no longer in operation. After training, he became a steward. His baritone voice endeared him to passengers and on most occasions they applauded his announcements.
Jeff Koinange had no idea he could join the media industry until he bumped into a media personality on one of the flights he was working on. The passenger challenged him to take advantage of his voice and make a career out of it.
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After graduating from New York University, Jeff Koinange worked for both ABC and NBC. He worked at NBC in 1994 and at ABC from 1991 to 2001. He also worked at Reuters from 1995 to 2001.
In 1992 Kenya Television Network was launched. This was the country’s first independent television network and Jeff Koinange was one of its first anchors. He joined KTN in 1995 as a part-time news anchor. At that time he was already working as a Reuters correspondent in Nairobi. Reception was mixed when he started working at KTN as some people were put off by his accent while others accepted him.
Jeff Koinange was appointed Reuters West Africa Bureau Chief in 1998. He was originally based in Ivory Coast but later moved to Johannesburg.
Jeff Koinange gained worldwide recognition after he joined CNN as an African correspondent and head of the West Africa Bureau. Koinange drew attention to West Africa through his stories. He highlighted civil wars and corruption in the region. During his time at CNN, Jeff covered the Darfur crisis, the civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and the famine in Niger.
At CNN, Jeff partnered with Anderson Cooper to cover the Niger famine, which was one of the most devastating famines in West Africa. Her series, titled “Starvation in Focus,” highlighted the plight of the people, which prompted immediate responses around the world. The Nigerian people were saved from the devastating situation by the series. The series won a TV Emmy and is considered one of the highlights of Jeff’s career.
Jeff Koinange’s story about a doctor in Bukavu,Eastern Congo who has helped hundreds of women who have been sexually abused is also considered one of the best moments of his career. A Congolese doctor ran a clinic that treated over 600 women, young and old, after they were attacked by uniformed men. His story resonated strongly with audiences and victims received the help they needed.
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While at CNN in 2007, Jeff Koinange reported on the Niger Delta Emancipation Movement (MEND). During the report he was in the presence of MEND guerrillas who had captured some Filipinos. This report raised much controversy and there was an outcry, particularly from the Nigerian government, which claimed it was staged. However, CNN and Jeff denied claims of orchestrating the report.
2007 was a controversial year for Jeff Koinange. Shortly after the Niger Delta report, Marianne Briner claimed that a Swiss woman was having an affair with him. This is probably one of the main reasons for his move from CNN.