The journey to transformation is never an easy one. Many have to go through thick and thin to break it even in life.
Steven Mwalily, the Hivisasa Mombasa County star writer has been through tough times but now appreciates the turn of events in his life.
The 25-year-old from Mwapala village, Kwale County attended Mwapala Primary School and later Mivumoni High School where he sat his KCSE in 2012.
Mwalily said he once sold bottled water in Mwembe Tayari. Realising that the business was not profitable, he started selling boiled eggs in Likoni, as a night time activity, and whose returns were Sh400 daily.
But as it would be, the first born in a family of three boys, never remained on the same spot.
While doing the eggs business, the Mombasa College of Professional Studies graduate got a place for attachment at Baraka FM where his journey as a journalist picked.
“My passion in journalism started when I was a young boy where I used to listen to the radio together with my father. When I joined High school I started writing articles to my English and Kiswahili teachers about issues concerning our daily life in school,” says Mwalily who holds a certificate in journalism.
He said before he started his career as a journalist, he used to write and sell poems and songs to local primary schools in the area.
He also trained them for their inter-school competitions.
Mwalily is also the chairman of Mizani Art Group, a poetic group that writes and performs songs and poems in Mombasa during events.
His last performance and which he said was his greatest, was in March last year at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi during an agricultural event.
The Baraka FM in Mombasa reporter who joined the station in September 2015 where he also does feature stories.
During the same period, Mwalily also joined Hivisasa.com.
“One month after joining Hivisasa, I thank God that I emerged winner of Sh3, 000 as two of my stories were the most read in during the period. My vision is to become one of the greatest journalists in Africa. I am aiming to write more stories that will change lives of many, mostly the youth in society,” he added.
"Thank you Hivisasa, I promise to work harder."