Inspiring story of Yvonne Okwara: From earning 150/ as waitress to top news anchors in Kenya

Citizen TV News anchor Yvonne Okwara Matole has been trending for the whole of this week after her brilliant interview on Tuesday with presidential candidate DP William Ruto.

Her rating as a journalist has since gone up, and maybe even her monetary value has increased.

But did you know Okwara’s journey to the top has never been easy like some people think?

Okwara disclosed that her first job was at Walker’s Restaurant at Reinsurance Plaza where she worked as a waitress.

Through her social media, Yvonne, who was rated among the top 100 Kenyan Journalists in 2017, stated that she used to earn Ksh 150 a day.

“The restaurant opened at 9 AM. We had to be in at 7 AM. Closed at 8PM. Stayed till 10PM to clean up. All for 150bob. But I learned a lot. To respect wait staff and dealing with people!

“A Smile goes a long way. Earned more in tips this way!” she advised.

She expressed her gratitude for the job that taught her valuable life lessons.

“Mungu ni mkubwa (God is great). Hard work, humility, passion. Plus using every opportunity to learn is what is key. There is a lesson in everything,” she stated.

Her post inspired other Kenyans to share their first job experiences.

“I was an animal feeds cashier, I can relate where you are coming from. True about the lessons. I think I made Sh5,000 or less, 9 AM-6 PM and a lot of heavy lifting of 90 KG bags,” one user noted.

Another wrote: “I was a sports writer/producer earning 5k a month but I felt like I should be the one paying them for everything I learned on the job as well. It was awesome.”

“There is always a starting point in life. We should always be proud of it in our quest to start independent living. It births us to greatness and gives us inspirations & reflections to continue pushing the rock of life,” one user summarized it all.

Yvonne, who keeps her life private opened up through a Facebook post about her brother who has a disability.

“You see, my brother has a disability. Allow me to introduce you to him. Albert Okwara is deafblind. And yes, it is one word. Not deaf and blind!” she wrote.

Another fact unknown to many is that she exchanged vows with her husband in Andrew Matole in December 2014.