“I’m working on it.” NTV news anchor Olive Burrows explains why she can’t speak Kamba despite growing up in Kenya

Olive Burrows Kalekye. That’s her real name and who in the world would have guessed she’s Kamba.

The NTV news anchor recently opened up about her Kamba background in a sit down with Nation and gave an explanation on why she can’t speak her language despite growing up in Kenya.

“I have always wanted to (to speak Kamba). I think that is one of my biggest mistakes. I have a four-year-old nephew who speaks Kamba so fluently. The other day he was asking me questions about body parts by pointing at them, the way kindergarten teachers do,”  said Olive Burrows.

Kamba Culture

She added that her mum never spoke Kamba and therefore nothing in her surrounding promoted her Kamba culture but she’s working on learning the language.

“My mum never spoke to me in Kamba and then our teachers would encourage us to speak English and Kiswahili. I grew up in Nairobi West and attended Malezi Primary School in Lang’ata, then Kenya High School. I never met any of my grandparents and my mother was a single parent but now I’m working on it.” she said.