Radio 47 presenter Alex Mwakideu has announced that he will be exiting his radio career as he celebrates two decades on air.
He began his career at Mombasa-based Baraka FM in 2004 where he stayed for six years, and progressed to presenting at Radio Maisha for eight, Milele FM for five and is currently at Radio 47 alongside Emmanuel Mwashumbe. READ FULL STORY
He stated that he would be hanging up his mic before 2027, citing his desire to involve himself in political-related endeavours but maintained that he would not be vying for a seat.
“I will not cover the next elections while on the radio, I will most probably be out. I want to be active in politics. I will not be running, however, but I want to help my people in Taveta ” he stated in an interview on the Obinna Live show.
The self-proclaimed ‘King Of Radio’ talked about his illustrious stint on Kenya’s biggest radio stations, attributing his departures from the different stations to his growth as a radio presenter.
” When you grow you grow, you do not grow downwards only upwards. Inafika point you gauge your value and aski yourself hapa nilipo in terms of career, where am I supposed to be” he said in the interview.
Regarding his exit, he cited various motivating factors propelling him to depart the airwaves, including dwindling pay due to the rise of the digital age.
He opined that the digital revolution has changed the game for income-generating avenues on radio, giving an example of how companies have cut down their advertising budgets on radio pushing money towards social media for bigger reach.
Mwakideu revealed that throughout his career his favourite co-presenter was Jalang’o, real name Felix Odiwuor(current Lang’ata MP), describing their stint as a match made in heaven.
He said that their relationship had a rocky start, and they often bickered over their output on the show, causing their then-boss, Tom Jappani stress over their squabbles.
He also stated that he would bring back his restaurant Pampered Village which closed down due to leasing wrangles with his landlord. He claimed that the rent was overpriced and was not sustainable for the business.
