Sharon Baranga Biography, Husband, NMG, Education, And Awards

Very few Kenyan journalists have absorbed as public a setback as Sharon Baranga did in the summer of 2020 and turned it into a decade of reinvention. She lost her father in early June and her job at NTV a month later, then rebuilt through TV47 before landing an international newsroom seat at CGTN Africa. Baranga remains best known for years of documentary and feature work advocating for children’s right to education, work that outlasted the very layoffs meant to end her career.

Nationality	Kenyan
Occupation	Journalist
Known For	Children's education advocacy journalism
Employer	CGTN Africa (Nairobi bureau)
Previous Employers	NTV Kenya, TV47
Alma Mater	Tangaza University
Years Active	2010s – present

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Sharon Baranga Biography

Sharon Baranga was born and raised in Buruburu, Eastland, Nairobi, Kenya. She was born in a family of 3 children, where she is the only daughter and first child, she has two brothers.

She has been in the journalism industry for more than 10 years. Her father, Henry Baranga, died in early June 2020 after a fall that left him with a brain injury; her mother, Florence, took early retirement to care for him in his final years, and the couple had been married for more than three decades. Baranga was let go from NTV the following month, in July 2020, as part of a wider round of layoffs at the station.

She is known to produce documentaries and features that advocate for children’s right to education. Sharon attended Tangaza University, a constituent of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Communication. She was also a member of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, a program of the Young African Leaders Initiative launched by former President Barack Obama.

Sharon Baranga Husband

Sharon Baranga has not publicly confirmed being married. In a 2020 interview, she joked about once having a crush on then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and being drawn instead to then-Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, though she has not spoken about her relationship status in the years since.

Sharon Baranga Career

Sharon Baranga began her career at Nation Media Group’s NTV Kenya, where she produced documentaries and features promoting children’s right to education. She got the job at NMG during her university days, when a team from the company’s journalism training program, the Media Lab, visited her campus. She was let go from NTV in July 2020 as part of a wider round of layoffs at the station.

In 2016, she was recognized as one of the best in “Visual Reporting for Early Childhood Development” by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). She has also been recognized by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) and the Jefferson Educational Society.

She joined TV47 in October 2020, becoming head of its education desk and a senior reporter. She spent close to three years there before leaving on June 29, 2023. Days later, on July 3, 2023, she started a new role at CGTN Africa, the Nairobi-based bureau of the Chinese state broadcaster. She told Tuko.co.ke that the timing was deliberate, noting the CGTN start date fell exactly three years from the day she lost her father and received her NTV retrenchment letter. She has credited both NTV and TV47 for shaping her career as she has taken on the new international role.

Baranga also runs Uriel’s Mission, a non-profit organization she co-founded with gospel musician David Muthengi, popularly known as Holy Dave.