Early Life and Challenges
- Birth and Family Background:
- Salim Swaleh was born and raised in Bondeni, Nakuru County.
- He grew up in a polygamous family, with his father having three wives.
- Salim had two siblings, one from his mother and another from a stepmother.
- Childhood Struggles:
- He attended Bondeni Primary School but had to drop out in the fourth grade due to financial difficulties.
- To help support his family, Salim worked with his grandmother, making and selling food items like chapatis, mandazis, and samosas.
Return to Education and Success
- Resuming Education:
- At the age of 14, after his mother remarried, Salim resumed his education at Nakuru Primary School, skipping ahead to class seven.
- He performed well in his exams, earning a place at Menengai High School.
- Overcoming Academic Challenges:
- Despite struggling with mathematics, Salim persevered and completed his high school education.
Breaking into the Media Industry
- Studying Mass Communication:
- After high school, Salim studied Mass Communication at Mwangaza College in Nakuru.
- First Media Jobs:
- Salim’s first job was at Ghetto FM, a community radio station, where he worked without pay but gained valuable experience.
- He later joined Sauti ya Mwananchi Radio, earning a modest salary of Sh8,000 while hosting five different programs.
- International Experience:
- In 2008, Salim and a colleague moved to Iran for work.
- In 2009, he enrolled at Tehran University to study Broadcast Journalism.
Family and Return to Kenya
- Marriage and Family Life:
- Salim married Sharifa, a woman from Gilgil, Kenya, and they had three children together.
- After their first child turned four, the family returned to Kenya.
- Career Growth:
- In 2016, Salim joined Citizen TV and became the head of the Kiswahili News Desk by 2017.
- He transitioned to NTV in 2018 as an editor and anchor.
- In 2020, he was appointed Chief Officer for ICT, e-government, and Public Communication in Nakuru County.
Recent Developments and Legal Troubles
- Government Appointment:
- In 2023, Salim was appointed Director of Communications in the office of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
- Arrest and Charges:
- In June 2024, Salim was arrested in connection with a fraud scheme at Mudavadi’s office.
- He was charged with impersonation, fraud, and abuse of office, with accusations of helping imposters gain access to a government building by posing as VIPs.
- The scheme targeted foreigners, soliciting bribes in exchange for promised favors.
- Plead for Forgiveness from the Government:
- During late August 2024, Salim Swaleh recorded a video and shared, pleading for forgiveness and said that he broke an unmatched trust that was built for a long time.
- He said “Your Excellency, you have been my father figure for the longest time that I’ve known you. We’ve built an unmatched trust between us and for the last one and a half I have served you, served your good office, and served you with unmatched zeal. I broke the trust and I’m so sorry about it. I’m truly remorseful about it”.
- “It’s end month, bills are piling up, salary stopped abruptly, I have loans, please find it in your heart to forgive me,” he said. Secondly, please help end this so that I can pick up the small pieces left and see where I can begin. With the kind of bad publicity I got, it is almost impossible to get another place to work. Please have mercy on me.”, he added.
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