Mutahi Ngunyi. who invokes a myriad of intellectual and emotional reactions, has taken a step forward with his political show, turning it into a fully fledged TV station.
The former University of Nairobi don announced on his Twitter account on March 20 that the 5th Estate, a political analysis show that is a brainchild of Ngunyi, is now a TV station that has already begun testing on at least two pay TV service providers and one free to air channel.
Mutahi Ngunyi tweeted that the new station was “positive, edifying, and happy” in his announcement that was made on World Happiness Day.
A teaser trailer attached to the tweet insinuated that the channel would offer a “breakdown” of the news, with the trailer ending with an inscription of “We simplify…”.
Mutahi Ngunyi also announced that the station is looking to recruit what he termed as “young and raw” talent. “No experience needed. If clever, I will train you,” he said.
The station is on air for a testing phase on GOtv channel 888, Startimes Channel 186 and the free to air Pang TV.
5th Estate is NOW a TV STATION. POSITIVE, Edifying and HAPPY. Looking for YOUNG and RAW Talent. No EXPERIENCE NEEDED. If CLEVER, I will train you. (recruitment@thefifthestate.co.ke).TESTING channel on STARTIMES and Go-TV. #InternationalDayOfHappiness pic.twitter.com/kgOVtXMRJM
— Mutahi Ngunyi (@MutahiNgunyi) March 20, 2019
Mutahi Ngunyi is an intellectual in Kenya who has carved out a niche for himself in political analysis. He is famous for coining the term “Tyranny of Numbers”, developing a theory which he claimed would be the reason behind a first round win for Uhuru Kenyatta during the 2013 General Elections.
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With a unique style that is at times considered abrasive and elitist, the political analyst has on a number of occasions been accused of using his influence to propagate propaganda.
Mutahi Ngunyi has amassed a large following on social media, with over 1.2 million followers on Twitter. However, the political analyst only follows nine tweeps, including President Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and journalist Njoki Chege.
He is known for tweeting using a mixture of uppercase and lower case words, using capitalisation for emphasis.
The 5th Estate, a political analysis show started by Mutahi Ngunyi and which featured his students from the Fort Hall College, used to air on K24. Its YouTube page has over 61,000 subscribers with videos attracting between 10,000 views and 140,000 views.
Scroll text on the videos have been announcing the testing phase of the 5th Estate TV from as early as March 6.
[See Also: Blow to K24 as political reporter jumps ship to Citizen TV]
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