Candid Interview I granted John Ndiritu

 Candid Interview I granted John Ndiritu, Third Year BA Communication and Media student in Chuka University

Tell us your name and a little bit of your background

I am Musyoka Ngui. A fourth year student studying a BA Communication and Media. I am the second born in a family of five boys. I don’t have a sister. Our mother taught us cooking at an early age in case she is not around we take care of ourselves. I am a good cook by situation.

Tell us a little about your blog

Faculty of Arts and Humanities Dean Dr. George Ngugi King’ara inspired me with blogging. He used to send us assignments on his World FilmHouse blog (Chuka University Resource Centre) blog and I asked him how I can set up my own site. He guided me on the options available and the rest is history.

I started blogging in May 2013 and since then I haven’t looked back. I like commenting on topical issues and also have a knack for youth issues. No wonder I named my blog Youth Issue (musyokangui.blogspot.com)

My blog was intended to earn me experience in writing and after clearing campus I want to start my own commercial website where I will be able to earn income.

From my voluntary blog I got exposed to a lot of issues and sold an idea to an OLX dealer who liked my articles and contracted me to write for his website at 1.5 US$ between September and December last year. I resume writing for him on April 16 this year –immediately after clearing I have a job waiting for me. He pays via MPESA.

What inspired you into writing?

My mother and my high school English teacher at Makueni Boys’. My mother used to give me literature to read and write compositions about what I understood. As early as when I was in Standard Eight I had read most William Shakespeare’s books like Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice. I also read other texts she bought for my elder brother for school set books.

My high school English teacher was called Mr. Geoffrey Ndolo. We nicknamed him bica which is Sheng’ for biscuits because he used to reward us with biscuits when we answer Cloze Tests. My friends Fred Wambua and Patrick Mwania and I used to get the test correct and emerged top. He bought us quarter breads which really inspired us to read and write in English.

What is your greatest flaw?

I am addicted to surfing and can spend a lot of time in the internet trawling and downloading stuff even when I have more important things to do. Sometimes I can’t help I can’t help it.

Do you think writing ability is something a person has or does not? Or do you think is something one can learn?

It’s both. Writers can be made and are also born.  But I daresay those who enjoy the art combine both although you can learn writing and still be better than even talented writers. For me I don’t think I am a born writer. I learned it from people and also discovered writing late in life. In primary school I only spoke and wrote in Kikamba but when I found good teachers and colleagues they made me a better person.

What process do you use to develop your writing?

I research a lot. My library is full of PDFs, Word Documents, documentaries and other forms of literature which I refer.

Since I mostly comment about current affairs, I read newspapers especially online before commenting on my blog or in the national dailies like The Standard and Daily Nation or Taifa Leo.

I type my own work so I am the first editor of my scripts. I assign critical pieces to professionals such as my cousin Mary Kyambi who is an MBA and a literature teacher.  I also forward my scripts to lecturers like Dr. Ngugi King’ara, Messrs Samson Raiji and Henry Nabea. Currently, Kiswahili lecturer Enoch Bitugi Matundura is working on publishing an anthology and he edited my short story which he promised to publish. I also observe things to get a story out of the immediate environment.

Is there anything you have in your bucket list?

Yes, travelling the world and working for a reputable media house like Al Jazeera or CNN.

Why writing and how is the going?

I started writing as a hobby. As the cliché goes, a good writer is also good in reading. So if you want to be a prolific writer, read intensively and extensively.

I have published a lot in various scales. Apart from blogging and freelancing, I won a coveted essay writing competition called Youth for Democracy Innovations Awards organized by the UNDP in 2012 which I scooped KES.120,000. I was the best in Kenya. I emerged second runners up in an environmental essay writing competition called Juatenda organized by Volunteers For Africa and Medeva. I also reviewed Chinua Achebe’s book The Trouble with Nigeria and was published in Saturday Nation’s literature magazine Weekend in July 2014. I am also the outgoing Editor In Chief of the campus magazine Varsity Post. My blog was also mentioned among the top five read blogs in Chuka University by chukauni.com, an entrepreneurial start-up by a colleague called Steve Mbego who works for the County Review.

I am also working on a novel I started writing in 2009. Hopefully by the end of this year it will be rolled off the presses.

Currently I am working on a UNESCO essay writing contest and another by the Competition Authority of Kenya.

What plans do you have in the future as a journalist?

I want to start my own commercial blog this May to earn good money as well as employ a few people. I will also be on the lookout for mainstream media jobs on both television and newspapers. I think I can make an excellent investigative journalist.

I also intend to go for MA in Journalism and Communication as a work student.

Who influences you most? Why?

I admire John -Allan Namu and Mohamed Ali of KTN for their courage in covering stories and pursing the truth. I also admire Dennis Onsaringo for his meticulous investigative pieces on crime. He investigates Case Files on KTN.

What advice would you give to upcoming writers?

Never give up. Write, write and write.

Is there a downside to what you do?

Sometimes the computer screen can strain my eyes and develop itches and fatigue. Typing at times is tedious.

Describe yourself in three words

I am a writer, blogger and journalist- as my Twitter account states.

What are the perks of becoming a personality like you?

People respect you. Some colleagues think I know a lot but in reality I am just humble and get clueless when they consult me on matters I have no idea about. You also get to be trusted and famous.

Some people just ambush me asking me if I am the guy they read or a reincarnation. Others are baffled by my diminutive figure yet have a big personality.

What would you teach anyone who wants to walk in your shoes?

Develop a passion in what you do; whatever it is. Live your dream and be you. Most importantly, seek happiness and peace with God and His Creation.

What do you do?

I am a student winding up my studies in BA Communication and Media at Chuka University.

What is your driving force?

My girl who encourages me to keep on despite her being hard to impress but gives me unfailing support. I also have a desire to tell the truth and make a difference in the lives of others-however little. That satisfies me.

You write stories that appear in the national dailies. What is your secret?

I don’t have a secret. I just write something topical and am published. I am also very consistent and don’t give up even when sometimes the newspapers do not publish my articles. I write more and more.