Njoka, who currently works at Wion Television in India, blamed his former boss at the TV station Kenya Television Network (KTN) under Standard Group Limited for denying him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the prestigious CNN Journalism Fellowship (CJF).
They say some opportunities come only once and when they disappear, hoping for a repeat of the same is akin to wishing that penguins could fly. As much as we would like to blame ourselves for missing out on that rare chance, at times external forces come into play.
Take, for example, Eric Njoka, whom many first knew from his stint at Mediamax Networks Limited-owned K24. He recently uncovered an experience which broke him completely in terms of his career and left him with nursing ‘media’ scars.
In a long post, Njoka, who currently works at Wion Television in India, blamed his former boss at the TV station Kenya Television Network (KTN) under Standard Group Limited for denying him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the prestigious CNN Journalism Fellowship (CJF). Njoka was working at KTN then.
He had been selected to attend the Fellowship, a career-defining moment that would have placed him among an elite group of journalists from around the world. The perks included a fully paid visit to the United States of America (USA), with a 5-year free visit visa included in the CNN deal.Â
During the fellowship, CNN planned to cover Njoka’s travel expenses, accommodation, and daily living costs during the fellowship, which was scheduled to start on October 10, 2011, and conclude on October 28, 2011.
Eric Njoka at Wion TV studios. /ERIC NJOKA
The organisation had also written to the U.S. Embassy requesting the issuance of a visa to facilitate Njoka’s travel to the United States.
“Decided to put it on the TL. This is for those of you out there “NEVER STOP, KEEP GOING, NO MATTER WHAT”. Sometimes life decides to give you lemons and you must make lemonade, there are no two ways about it,” he began.
Describing the turn of events, Njoka revealed that the selection to attend the fellowship happened as he was gaining strides at KTN, careerwise, and that it happened so fast that he had that second feeling of ‘anything can go wrong’ at any time.
Still, he secured the five-year multiple entry visa to the USA, packed his bags, and mentioned that he never travelled outside the country and even shared how his late mother was happy about his new milestone.
“Plus I have family in the “Yues” nothing to worry about, tickets in hand, prayer in check, final touches done, mobile phones were becoming a real deal then,” he revealed before tables turned the night before his flight to the US.
Njoka revealed that he received a frantic text from the organisers of the Fellowship, urging him to check his email as there were ‘change of plans’, and what followed was akin to breaking the souls of the most stoic of men.
“We got a call from your office Manager directing Turner Studios to cancel your trip and to recall every documentation presented to us, we have tried our best to discuss this and come to an agreement but the response we received was rude, abrasive and unbecoming, We regret to inform you that your Fellowship opportunity has been rejected and deferred”…,” Njoka added.
It shook him. He tried to maintain his calmness and had to lie to his family that he had to go to the US Embassy to confirm some things, as he had tried to frantically reach out to his bosses to find out what happened that led to the cancellation.
However, no response was forthcoming from those bosses whom he claimed had avoided him for three weeks, an abrupt development that was perceived to stem from jealousy from the manager’s side which influenced the manager’s reaction to Njoka’s invitation.
Njoka accused the manager of going in the way of what would have been a life-changing opportunity and that his career would have turned out differently had the deal sailed through.
He also directly blamed the manager for how his mother, who was left overjoyed by the achievement, was left devastated by the big blow inflicted on her son.
“I was devastated, I was humiliated, I felt dejected, but the most hurtful sight was to see my Mom, just break. That will never leave me. Anyway “Life has to go on” right?
“I lost such a huge opportunity which could have added a few miles to my career path, but humans being humans, and always being selfish that it should have been them, instead of me, turned out to be the biggest turning point in my life. It’s hard to forgive and it’s even harder for me to forget, even more reason why I have never EVER spoken about this uneventful incident.”
Inside KTN News studios. /NAIROBI LEO
Eric Njoka’s media career
Eric Njoka’s journey in journalism began in the early 2000s when he first stepped into the world of broadcasting. His career commenced with roles in radio and TV at Kameme FM and K24 TV in Nairobi, where he honed his reporting and news anchoring skills from 2008 to 2010.
Njoka’s big break came when he joined Standard Group in 2011, where he worked as a senior news anchor for nearly three years at the now-defunct KTN News. In 2011, his career took a turn when he joined China Central Television (CCTV Africa) as a reporter. Based in Nairobi, he was the new voice of African news, anchoring broadcasts that connected local stories to a global audience.
Njoka returned to Kenya in 2014, joining Mediamax Network Ltd, where he spent five years as a senior news anchor, reporter, and content producer. His time at Mediamax saw him take on a more creative role, where he pitched trending stories and developed new series for prime-time bulletins.
He was the anchor of Talk Central, a TV program that tackled social, political, and current affairs, making him a household name.
In 2021, Njoka’s career took another international leap when he joined WION, part of Zee Media Corporation Limited, based in Noida, India. Currently, Njoka anchors global news, presenting stories that matter from Africa and around the world. His work involves anchoring live broadcasts, covering breaking news, and delivering comprehensive news packages.