Yvonne Okwara takes over Tuesday night as Sam Gituku assumes new role in Citizen TV prime time changes

This follows the departure of Waihiga Mwaura, the former host of the popular #NewsNight show, to the BBC.

Yvonne Okwara the straight-firing news anchor will now be hosting The Explainer with Yvonne Okwara every Tuesday at 9PM. She currently hosts the Tonight Show every Thursday at 9PM.

Replacing her is Sam Gituku, who currently hosts DayBreak every Monday and Tuesday and his Thursday show will now be called Tonight with Sam Gituku.

Royal Media Services Editorial Director Linus Kaikai, while announcing the changes said the company is trying to offer more than just regular news.

"We understand that news is no longer just news, there has to be a meaning behind news and we are responding to the needs that are arising and the challenge that is being placed on us by our audiences," said Mr Kaikai.

Praising Okwara as "a strong accountability-driven journalist with a strong record in public interest reporting", Kaikai said her show will help audiences understand the news better.

"The Explainer comes in because we acknowledge that our audiences are demanding to understand the meaning behind events. They want to understand the implications of the news events that we cover and how they affect their livelihoods," he said. "This is an answers platform."

He added: "The explainer is also coming because bearers of authority will be given the opportunity to explain the decisions they make. This is an answers platform. Yvonne Okwara is a very strong accountability-driven journalist with a strong record in public interest reporting and she is best placed to execute the Explainer."

For Sam Gituku, Mr Kaikai said: "We will be introducing Sam Gituku. He brings the unique strength of data journalism, just understanding those numbers and breaking them down. When Kenyans are being told 3% of their salaries goes to Housing, what exactly does that mean? Sam will be walking through those numbers explaining those numbers, breaking them down in a way that our audiences will consume better."

"We understand that news is no longer just news, there has to be a meaning behind news and we are responding to the needs that are arising and the challenge that is being placed on us by our audiences," said the Royal Media Services Editorial Director.