BMJ (Ben Mutua Jonathan) Muriithi (born Jonathan Nyaga; 4 May 1969) is a print, radio and television journalist and actor based in the United States. Muriithi is also a regional reporter and correspondent for

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Television) ...

, a Kenyan media outlet, QTV, and the ''Nation Newspaper'', all owned by

Nation Media Group Nation Media Group (abbreviated as NMG) is a Kenyan media group listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. NMG was founded by Aga Khan IV in 1959 and is the largest private media house in East and Central Africa with offices in Kenya, Uganda, and Tan ...

(NMG). He previously worked for ''The Standard'' of Kenya as a US correspondent.

Biography

BMJ Muriithi was born in Kanyuambora village,

Embu district Embu County is a county of Kenya. The capital of Embu County and the former Eastern province headquarters, Embu is a large and largely metropolitan area with a population of 608,599 persons. The county borders Kirinyaga to the west, Kitui to t ...

in the Eastern province of Kenya. A son of Kenyan small scale farmers, the late Sospeter Mungwana Kironji Mutua and Jane Igoki Mungwana Kironji, he rose from a relatively modest family background to head one of the most popular drama clubs in Kenya, the Mt. Kenya Theatrix, before moving to the United States.

Early life, school, and career

Muriithi and his now late brother, Stephen Njagi Kironji, started acting in their village church at a very young age. Muriithi later joined Kangaru School,

Embu, Kenya Embu is a city located approximately northeast of Nairobi towards Mount Kenya. Embu served as the provincial capital of the former Eastern Province and currently serves as the headquarters of the Eastern Region in Kenya. It is also the c ...

, graduating in 1986. He then joined a private school in

Thika Thika Thika (pronounced �θika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town ...

, Kenya while living with his father, who worked at SA Joytown Special School for disabled children as a caretaker. Muriithi became the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

Drama Club Chairperon in 1988 and later that year he was elected to head the Youth Department at the Thika YMCA branch. In 1990, he trained as a registration assistant at Kenya Institute of Surveying and Mapping (KISM) in Ruaraka. Upon graduating, Muriithi was hired by the

Kenyan government , image = , caption = Coat of arms of Kenya , date = 1963 , jurisdiction = Republic of Kenya , url = http://www.mygov.go.ke/ , legislature = Parliament of Kenya , meeting_place = ...

and posted in Eastern Province as a Registration Assistant. While working with the Lands Department at the Eastern Provincial Headquarters in Embu, he joined renowned actor Joseph Murungu in the newly formed Mt Kenya Theatrix Drama Group under the auspices of the Kenya

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

, Embu Branch. While on an exchange program tour co-sponsored by the Kenya Red Cross Society and the Norwegian Red Cross Society, he enrolled in a certificate course in acting and photojournalism at Haraldvangen Institute in Norway, graduating in 1992.

Artistic activity

Earlier in his career, he traversed the country with members of Mt. Kenya Theatrix, sensitising people to the dangers of

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

through community theater under the sponsorship of

Plan International Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation which works in over 75 countries across Africa, the Americas, and Asia to advance children’s rights and equality for girls. Its focus is on child protection, education, child par ...

, a non-governmental humanitarian organisation. In high school, he was named the entertainer of the year of the class of 1986. Muriithi produced and presented the arts segment of John Obong'o Jr.'s ''Kenya Beat'', a popular Kenyan radio program aired on Monday mornings. He covered artistic activities in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

and upcountry, including the national schools and colleges drama festivals. He frequented the Professional Centre adjacent to the

Kenya National Assembly The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya. Between 1966 and 2013, it served as a unicameral house. In 2013 ( 11th Parliament), it became the lower house when the Senate was reestablish ...

where some of the most prolific Kenyan and foreign thespians staged their plays under the directorship of

James Falkland James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, the Scots-born director of the Phoenix Players. In the mid-90s, he was featured on Kenyan radio, television and stage, and was appointed the

executive chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of Mt. Kenya Theatrix Club in 1995. Some of the productions he featured in included

Athol Fugard Athol Fugard, Hon. , (born 11 June 1932), is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apart ...

's ''

Sizwe Bansi Is Dead ''Sizwe Banzi Is Dead'' (originally produced and published as: ''Sizwe Bansi is Dead'') is a play by Athol Fugard, written collaboratively with two South African actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, both of whom appeared in the original produ ...

'', Joseph Murungu's ''So Sweet a Bite'', Francis Imbuga's '' Betrayal in the City'', and

John Ruganda John Ruganda (30 May 1941 to 8 December 2007) was Uganda's best known playwright. Beyond his work as a playwright, Ruganda was also a professor at University of North, South Africa, University of Nairobi, and Makerere University. He was born in F ...

's ''The Burdens'', as well as a number of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's published works. During his days in

, he featured in some high-profile TV commercials, including one by then

Celtel Celtel was a telecommunications company that operated in several African countries. It was founded by Sudanese-born Mo Ibrahim. History Originally known as "MSI Cellular Investments", the company began operating in 1998. In January 2004, the ...

(later Zain and now Airtell), one of Africa's leading telecommunication companies. He was also a co-presenter of ''The World This week'', a news roundup program produced by

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is the state-run media organisation of Kenya. It broadcasts in English and Swahili, as well as in most local languages of Kenya. The corporation started its life in 1928 when Kenya was a British colony. I ...

KBC. Besides his duties at KBC, Muriithi produced and presented ''Biashara Ndogondogo'', a popular

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

aired on Saturdays by Nairobi-based Nation Radio, now QFM which is owned by

. While working with the media houses, he simultaneously served as a registration assistant with Kenya's department of lands in both Embu and

. Before leaving Kenya, he sat on the

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

adjudication Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the ...

board for Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival. He was also a high school drama coach, producing and directing plays for Emma Girls School in Embu and Uthiru High School in

, both of which made it to the provincial level in the 90s.

Time in the US

In 2002, BMJ Muriithi moved to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, US, where he enrolled to study

Mass Communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

and

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

at Atlanta Metropolitan College. He worked as a

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

and an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

with a US-based Kenyan Newspaper, ''Kenya Empowerment Newspaper'', owned by Wilson Kimani Wanguhu. He was also a syndicated correspondent with

, the ''

Standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

, Kenya, and a reporter for Minneapolis-based ''Mshale Newspaper''. On 23 November 2008, his article, "An Africa to-do list for Obama", was published in the ''

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'', the main Newspaper in the state of Georgia, US. The same was later published by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', the oldest DC newspaper with the largest circulation in the City.

Activism

In the early 1990s, Muriithi teamed up with fellow thespians, including

Packson Ngugi Packson Ngugi is a Kenyan actor. He has played roles in plays and movies, and appeared in Kenyan TV commercials. He hosted a TV show, ''Omo Pick A Box'', in the late 1990s. He played a mortuary attendant in the movie ''The Constant Gardener''. ...

and a group of activists led by Kenyan politician and later Cabinet Minister

James Orengo James Aggrey Bob Orengo is a Kenyan lawyer, a well known human rights activist and politician who is the current governor for Siaya County. He is also one of the few Kenyan lawyers who have attained the professional grade of Senior counsel in t ...

, to protest the government's intention to sell the Kenya National Theatre building to the adjacent Norfolk Hotel against the wishes of the artists. The idea was consequently shelved. In October 2009, Muriithi received an award from Kenya's ambassador to the US for what the Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC termed "his professional support and

cooperation Cooperation (written as co-operation in British English) is the process of groups of organisms working or acting together for common, mutual, or some underlying benefit, as opposed to working in competition for selfish benefit. Many animal a ...

with the Embassy". It was presented at the

Georgia World Congress Center The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) is a convention center in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Enclosing some 3.9 million ft2 (360,000 m2) in exhibition space and hosting more than a million visitors each year, the GWCC is the worl ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia by HE. Peter Ogego,

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Controversy

In the early 1990s, Muriithi declined a job offer as a newscaster on the government-run

principle A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a Legal rule, rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, suc ...

. In a newspaper interview carried by '' The Standard'', a leading Kenyan daily, on 5 September 1995, the journalist said he could not take up the job as a news anchor owing to his opposition to the way the media house was carrying out its business. "It is a mouth piece for President

Daniel Arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...

and his cronies and much as I would love to serve my country in that respect, my conscience does not allow me", he told The Standard Newspaper. In opinion pieces carried by the local dailies in the mid-1990s, he attacked President Moi's

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

, terming the second president of Kenya as "one of the worst strongmen the world has seen in recent times". Observers have often wondered whether the journalist has any particular political leaning since he is equally critical of the current Kenyan president,

Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013 and is regarded as one of Kenya's founding fathers. He had previously ser ...

. In a radio interview with ksnmedia.com, he quipped; "Kibaki's legacy is indelibly tainted by his association with the Moi administration. How does he explain his total silence as Moi's administration acted with

impunity Impunity is avoidance of punishment, loss, or other negative consequences for an action. In the international law of human rights, impunity is failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a d ...

while he (Kibaki) comfortably sat in the same government, holding powerful positions, including that of the Vice-President of the republic of Kenya?" In another interview with ksnmedia.com on 26 September 2010, Muriithi criticised Kibaki for what he termed "open nepotism", saying almost all the key positions in his wing of the coalition were held by his tribesmen, save for a few held by his close cousins, the Ameru. He was equally critical of Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga. "Why is his sister the Consul General in Los Angeles yet she is a PHD in Chemistry? Don't you think he should try to at least conceal the open nepotism?" he was quoted by Kenya Satellite News Network as wondering. Asked what he thought of the founding president of Kenya as the country marked its 48th birthday, Muriithi said that Kenyatta had his successes as a statesman but his administration generally laid the foundation for the official corruption which is so rampant in Kenya today. He said There seems to be consensus that Kenyatta perfected tribalism and amassed great wealth (including vast tracts of land) while ignoring the real heroes, the

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

s some of whom - like Dedan Kimathi - lost their lives, property and

dignity Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable ...

as they fought for independence.

Personal

Muriithi is married to Edith Muriithi, a

medical assistant A medical assistant, also known as a "clinical assistant" or healthcare assistant in the USA is an allied health professional who supports the work of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other health professionals, usually ...

and a student at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the ...

. His daughter, Carole Wawira Muriithi attended School in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and was later a student at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

, in the south of England. She now works in London with 'The Girl Network.' Carole's mother, Fiona Clare, works for

CARE Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (relief agency), "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere", an international aid and ...

International.

References

*https://www.nation.co.ke/authors/1959272-1962634-muyaa7z/index.html] Articles by BMJ Muriithi in

Daily Nation The ''Daily Nation'' is the highest circulation Kenyan independent newspaper with 170,000 copies. History The ''Daily Nation'' was started in the year 1958 as a Swahili language, Swahili weekly called ''Taifa'' by the Englishman Charles Hay ...

*http://www.ajc.com/health/content/opinion/stories/2008/11/23/muriithied_1123.html?cxntlid=inform_sr *http://www.eastandard.net/news/InsidePage.php?id=1144026479&cid=159& *http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000003929&cid=4

External links

*http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000001309&cid=159&story=Kenyan%20student%20dies%20in%20a%20US%20plane%20crash *http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000002337&cid=159&story *http://www.undpi.org/World-News/UN-accords-Nairobi-higher-status.html