Larry Madowo Launches New Show ‘Eye On Kenya’

As Larry Madowo exited the local broadcast scene recently from NTV to the South African channel CNBC Africa, everyone knew there would be a clear void in the industry as the country potentially lost one of its arguably greatest presenters to an international firm.

But on the evening of Monday the 18th of June 2012, all these fears were allayed with ABN360’s official launch of an exciting new weekly programme produced in its Nairobi Bureau offices. Larry Madowo will be at the helm of a brand new programme called ‘Eye on Kenya’ which seeks to highlight the country’s business and investment potential.

At the cocktail launch which was hosted at the Sankara Hotel in Nairobi, leading officials from the government, particularly from Brand Kenya and the Kenya Tourism Board, and the private sector, companies such as Kenya Commercial Bank and the Nation Media Group were in attendance.

Kenya’s Vision 2030 is a national development blue-print aimed at creating a globally competitive and middle-income nation with a high quality of life by 2030. The new CNBC show ‘Eye on Kenya’ takes a look at how the country is developing in achieving this goal.

The show looks critically at issues affecting Kenya’s various sectors. These range from energy and infrastructure development to finance, tourism and agriculture and what we hope will include the rapidly developing entertainment industry. 

“CNBC Africa is the continent’s first and only 24 hour international business channel that delivers real-time information and insightful analysis about global business and Africa’s financial markets support. Partnership by key organisations such as Brand Kenya and the Kenya Tourism Board is important to us so that we can continue being first in business worldwide and highlight the continent’s success to the global community,” says Ali Naka, Business Development Manager-Africa, ABN360.

Introducing the trending topic of #TembeaKenya on Twitter, Larry welcomed the Tourism Board Managing Director Mureithi Ndegwa to talk about tourism, a task which he pulled off quite well, highlighting the fact that Kenya has alot more to offer than both domestic and local tourists have had the chance to experience.

There was a comical moment when he asked all the guests how many of them had taken a vacation in the last 2 months. When one hand went up, he clarified that even a simple trip across regions in the country counts as a ‘mini-vacation’. Also of note was that Mr. Ndegwa mentioned Kenya was ranked the 3rd best destination for Meetings and Conferences on the continent in 2011.

Later on Madowo mentioned that he had recently conducted an interview with American President Obama’s sister Auma Obama and he got it on record that they indeed come from the same village. The seasoned journalist was professional and humorous in how he carried out the launch and it was refreshing to see the event run smoothly.

Brand Kenya CEO Mary Kimunya was rather passionate with her speech and it was clear that black, red, green and white blood ran through her veins in a stern show of patriotism as she highlighted the strengths of Kenya and her people.

Finally, the Permanent Secretary in the country’s Information Ministry Bitange Ndemo was concisely eloquent with his remarks on the launch of CNBC’s new show.

‘I’ve been throughout the continent and I can safely and surely say there’s no tribe or language in Africa that has a translation for the word ‘productivity”, said the PS, adding that Kenya and Africa as a whole had to change specific policies on issues such as food security to sustain the population and spur economic development. 

The Kenya Tourism Board was awarded the title of ‘Best Tourist Board in Africa’ at The Good Safari Guide Awards 2009 in the ‘Best Tourist Board’ category because of its positive and tangible work for the country and its travel industry in 2008.

The Brand Kenya Board on the other hand is tasked with the responsibility of identifying and refining the key attribute in Kenya that contribute positively to the image and reputation of the nation. Its goal is create an authentic, credible brand for the country that establishes its uniqueness in the global arena.

Eye on Kenya broadcasts on Wednesdays 19:30 East African Time, CNBC Africa, DStv channel 410 (repeats on Saturday 12 noon and 19h00, and on Sundays at 13h30) You can follow the show on Twitter through the handle: @eyeonkenya