Ben Muriithi

Ben Muriithi a.k.a. BMJ Muriithi or BMJ Mureithi alias Jonathan Nyaga (born Ben Mutua Jonathan Muriithi on May 4 1969 in Kanyuambora, Embu district), is a Kenyan journalist and actor based in the United States.

Biography
Son of Kenyan farmers Sospeter Kironji Gideon and Jane Igoki Kironji, he rose from a relatively modest family background to head one of the most popular drama clubs in Kenya, the Mt. Kenya Theatrix.

Early life, School and career

Mureithi and his late brother, Stephen Njagi Kironji started acting in their village church at a very young age. He later graduated with a diploma from Kangaru High School, Kenya, in 1986. In 1988, Muriithi dropped out of school before he could sit his 'A' level exams in a private School in Thika, Kenya. In 1990, he trained as a registration officer at Kenya Institute of Surveying and Mapping in Ruaraka, Kenya. This helped him to secure a job with the government of Kenya later in life. He later enrolled for a certificate course in acting and Photojournalism at Haraldvangen Institute in Norway, graduating in 1992. Upon his graduation, he featured prominently in Kenyan Radio, Television and stage productions, culminating in being appointed the Executive Chairman of Mt. Kenya Theatrix Club in 1995. Some of the productions he featured in included Athol Fugard's Sizwe Bansi Is Dead; Joseph Murungu's So Sweet a Bite; and a few of Kenyatta University's Professor Francis Imbuga's published works. During his days in Nairobi, he also appeared in some high profile TV commercials, including one by Celtel, one of Africa's leading telecommunication companies.

Although he may not be in the league of Kenya's top actors like Paul Onsongo, John Sibi-Okumu or Njeri Osaak, he nevertheless has contributed immensely to the Kenyan media and theater scene. Earlier in his career, he traversed the country with members of Mt. Kenya Theatrix, sensitizing people on the dangers of HIV/AIDS through drama under the sponsorship of Plan International, a non-governmental humanitarian organization. During his High School days, he was named the entertainer of the year - class of 1986 - for his wit and humor in his weekend stand up comedies.
He also produced and presented the arts segment of John Obong'o Jr.'s Kenya Beat, a popular Kenya Broadcasting Corporation radio program aired on Monday mornings. Besides his duties at KBC, he simultaneously served as a registration assistant with Kenya's department of lands in both Embu and Nairobi. In 2002, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he is currently studying Communication and International Relations. He is a correspondent and News editor with a US based Kenyan Newspaper, Kenya Empowerment Newspaper. He is also a Syndicated correspondent with Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and a reporter for Minneapolis-based Mshale Newspaper. Before leaving Kenya, he sat on the provincial level adjudication board for Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival. Mureithi is married to Edith N. Muriithi who is a student at Georgia Perimeter College. His daughter, Carole Wawira Muriithi (b. Sept. 4th 1992) is currently a High School student in Hanoi, Vietnam.

In the early 1990s, Muriithi teamed up with fellow thespians, including Packson Ngugi and a group of activists led by firebrand Kenyan politician James Orengo, to protest the government's plan to sell the Kenya National Theatre building to the adjacent Norfolk Hotel against the wishes of the artists. The idea was consequently shelved. In 2007, he was among the first journalists to report about the firing of CNN Africa Bureau Chief, Jeff Koinange, by the giant media organization

references
*BMJ Muriithi's Story on CNN
* Minneapolis Newspaper Lead Story by BMJ Muriithi
* BMJ News story on AfricanPath
*Story by Kenyan writer Ben Muriithi
* Koinange's CNN Story by Kenyan journalist BMJ Muriithi

see also
culture of kenya

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