Swaleh Mdoe, the Swahili news anchor for Citizen TV, is facing suspension for his absence from the 1:00 pm bulletin on Tuesday, January 23. Mr. Mdoe, who has been missing from on-air appearances for more than three weeks, reportedly underwent a medical check-up on the scheduled day without notifying his supervisor. Consequently, management opted to suspend him.
Upon his return to work the following day, Mdoe was summoned by his superiors and informed of an indefinite ban from appearing on air. Despite this verbal suspension, Mdoe has continued to report to work regularly.
The veteran news anchor is known for hosting the Monday prime-time Swahili bulletin at 7:00 pm, as well as the 1:00 pm bulletins on Tuesday through Friday.
Mdoe’s career spans back to 1991, encompassing roles in both print and electronic media. He has worked at various notable outlets, including Kenya Times, Standard Newspapers, The Message, Weekly Mail, BBC, Nation TV, and KTN.
During his tenure, Mdoe served as a presenter at NTV between 1999 and 2001 before transitioning to KTN, where he worked as a news anchor and supervised the Kiswahili team from 2001 to 2006. He joined Citizen TV in March 2007, solidifying his presence on Kenyan screens.
Throughout his illustrious career, Mdoe has earned numerous accolades, including the Journalist of the Year award from the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and the News Anchor of the Year (Kiswahili) title in both 2003 and 2004.
