K24 is set to air a sports show starting on Monday, February 6, 2023, called Monday Night Football.
The show will be hosted by Kelvin Kimathi with Radio Jambo presenter Fred Arocho and former Harambee Stars defender James Situma serving as panelists.
However, with a few days remaining before the first episode of the show, there is scanty information about Kimathi.
Also Read: K24 Launches New Show to Rival NTV’s Sport-On
TeamKenya.co.ke takes a look at the career journey of a man who has conducted interviews with some of the prominent sports personalities in the world including ex-Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand.
Similar to most Kenyan media personalities, Kimathi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Magadi Road-based Multimedia University in 2016.
Immediately after graduation, he joined Mediamax Network Limited as an intern and worked at K24 for six months.
Although Mediamax did not retain him, Kimathi did not give up on his sports journalism dream. He continued to look for other opportunities before eventually landing a job at KTN News in July 2018.
Kimathi worked for KTN News for about 15 months before a rival media house, Switch TV, poached him due to the fantastic job that he was doing.
He worked for Switch TV for a few months before returning to where it all began - K24. This time round he was given a full-time job.
Speaking to TeamKenya.co.ke, Kimathi described himself as a person who is fervent about his career.
"I am an experienced multimedia journalist who is passionate about news reporting/anchoring and video production.
"I'm well experienced in news reporting/writing, video and audio editing, live news presentation, and camera work," disclosed Kimathi.
Due to his passion and dedication, he was nominated for the young reporter of the year award by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) in April 2022.
When asked about what is in store for the audience in the upcoming sports show, he stated that they should get ready for one of a kind sports program in the country.
"The viewer should expect in-depth analysis, top top-level banter, and a breakdown of the administration issues facing our local football.
"EPL, La Liga, Serie A, and League one. Great interviews with current and former Kenyan players too," he explained.
Kimathi cited the mistrust from Kenyan athletes and federations as the main challenge facing sports journalists in the country.
"The challenges are similar to the ones other news journalists face but with sports, it’s a bit difficult, especially when reporting on sports corruption.
"The sports federations are very scanty with information so it makes it more difficult and sometimes you receive threats. There are moments when athletes unwittingly become a major hindrance to the pursuit of a good story," he ended.