Citizen TV journalist Purity Mwambia opens up on being stranded, homeless during US exile

Purity Mwambia, the esteemed investigative reporter from Citizen TV, has recently shared her harrowing experiences while residing in the United States.

Mwambia was forced into exile after bravely exposing corrupt police officers, an act that subjected her to death threats and jeopardized her safety.

During a significant event on May 30, 2023, the former Citizen TV journalist participated in a panel discussion centered around the various challenges encountered by women in the news industry.

The Bureau of Global Public Affairs orchestrated this insightful session, providing a platform for industry professionals to exchange perspectives and shed light on pressing issues.

In 2021, Mwambia’s remarkable investigative work led to her exposé titled “Gun Galore,”

Within the discussion, Mwambia fearlessly opened up about the obstacles she has faced during her two-year exile, expressing her frustration at the limited progress she has achieved within her journalism career.

My challenges are not very different from other investigative journalists in exile. First of all, when you come here from your country where you’ve done big stories, you’ve quoted all these people who are doing some corruption, big shots in the government… but believe me, when you come here, it’s like your voice is silenced,

It’s very hard to navigate the US media landscape, especially for global journalists. It’s so hard. I’ve been here for two years and I’ve only been able to do one story with one of the local companies,”.

Some who come here say it is like the American dream but has its own challenges.

You find yourself in a place where there is no one to talk to, no one to run to. Personally, I was brought here by an organization and they abandoned me.

They left me, I’m on the verge of homelessness because I don’t know what to do next.

Every day when I walk past all these metro buses and I see these homeless people. It’s one of those stories I would have loved to tell as a journalist, but now I walk as if I’m literally in their shoes, not knowing what’s going to happen to me