Today, July 14, 2025, the Star newspaper celebrates 18 remarkable years of bold journalism and unwavering commitment to telling the stories that matter.
Over the years, the paper has developed a reputation for breaking big political, business and investigative stories that have left an indelible mark on the Kenyan media landscape.
With a keen eye for detail and a fearless approach to reporting, the Star has consistently held power to account, informing and entertaining readers in a rapidly changing world.
As Editorial Director Paul Ilado notes, “We are grateful to the board, former CEO Patrick Quarcoo and his business partner William Pike for their visionary leadership. We can only get better.”
And better they will, for the Star’s track record is a testament to its unwavering commitment to excellence.
From its inception, the Star has dared to dream big, defying the odds and naysayers who doubted the prospects of a new entrant in the Kenyan media space.
Eighteen years on, the paper stands tall as an outstanding player, having created a niche for itself as a mustread political newspaper.
With its inimitable optimism and bullish belief in the power of journalism, the Star continues to inspire and inform, holding those in power accountable and giving voice to the voiceless.
THE STAR BEAT THE ODDS - CATHERINE GICHERU
When I became the founding editor of the Star newspaper in 2007, the odds were stacked against us, says the Star Newspaper's founding editor, Catherine Gicheru.
The paper was launched to break the duopoly of the Nation and Standard media groups—an ambitious goal that many dismissed from the start. Few believed we would survive beyond three months.
There was even a running assumption that I would soon be knocking on Nation’s doors, asking for my old job as News Editor back. Hiring the first team was not easy.
Established reporters were reluctant to join a paper they believed was doomed. So, we started with a young, mostly untested group of journalists.
I focused on mentoring them—supporting their growth, encouraging specialisation and nurturing a reporting culture that would eventually produce impactful investigations and award-winning stories.
The plan was to start as a populist, lowbrow newspaper. But that vision quickly shifted. We launched amid the country’s post-election crisis and the ICC investigations.
Those circumstances demanded depth and context, not just sensational headlines. Because we relied on Nation Media Group to print the paper, we had to send it to the press by 5 pm—long before the news cycle wrapped up. That forced us to pivot from breaking news to “day-two journalism”: explaining what happened, why and what it meant.
Still, we did not always get it right. Our first edition caused a stir—not just because of the front-page story on pregnancies among Catholic nuns, but also because it was distributed by scantily dressed women at key city intersections. Between the controversial content and the marketing tactic, the backlash was swift and loud.
It was not the launch we had hoped for, but it taught us just how much scrutiny—and expectation—we would face. Over time, we leaned into experimentation.
From Nairobi-only circulation, we grew into a national paper. We tried bold advertising formats—wrap-around covers and branded mastheads—which drew criticism from media purists and peers who felt we were too cozy with corporate interests. But these approaches helped us stay financially viable and ultimately allowed us to break even in less than three years.
One area I’m especially proud of is how we embraced civic tech to serve readers in practical ways. One project, Dodgy Doctors, allowed people to verify whether a medical practitioner was registered, using a simple USSD code. It addressed a real public concern, especially for those without internet access.
I have since seen the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union develop its own version of such a tool—which is a sign that the idea had value and impact beyond our newsroom.
Sadly, Dodgy Doctors has fallen into disuse due to a lack of updates and support. It’s a reminder that even good ideas need continued investment and care. Looking back, what stands out is not just that we survived and proved the sceptics wrong, but that we stayed adaptable and we evolved.
We built a space for new voices, new ways of storytelling and journalism that asked hard questions. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t always smooth. But it mattered— and still does.
IT’S BEEN 18 YEARS OF BOLD JOURNALISM AND RELENTLESS GRIT - ILADO'S ACCOUNT
When our founding CEO Patrick Quarcoo sets his mind on something, it gets done. He has an extraordinary ability to make what seems impossible look easy, seamless.
That was the case with the Star. When he first shared his dream of building Kenya’s most formidable media house—including a suite of successful radio stations and a national daily—in 2001, I knew it was a matter of when, not if.
Today, one of his boldest projects is 18 years old.
The Star began as “a newspaper in the body of a magazine”—a visually striking and digestible daily that quickly caught the eye of the urban reader. But it did not take long for it to evolve.
With time, it grew into one of Kenya’s most influential political newspapers—unafraid, deeply sourced and consistently breaking explosive stories.
I had the honour of serving as the paper’s first political editor, under the dynamic leadership of Catherine Gicheru, and later the steady and seasoned William Pike, whom I recently succeeded.
The political desk included names that still shape our journalism today—our current Digital Editor Francis Mureithi, lawyer and civil society leader Nzau Musau and later Felix Olick, now our Political Editor. Together, we turned the political beat into a powerhouse of scoops, scoffing at fear and embracing the responsibility of public interest reporting.
Then came the bold experiments in investigative journalism. With veteran reporters Andrew Teyie, David Okwemba, and the young Kamore Maina at the helm, the investigative desk quickly made headlines.
I recall the time three of us were hauled into a Mombasa court to face criminal libel charges. We had published a top-secret report detailing how a notorious terrorist, Fazul Mohammed, had infiltrated police ranks—an exposé that rattled the system and almost landed us behind bars.
The Star rose to the occasion during the postelection violence and the subsequent International Criminal Court trials. The guidance and resolve of Gicheru and Pike were critical in ensuring we covered the events with depth, courage, and integrity.
Pike even ended up in a confrontation with then-President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Media Council of Kenya—proof of our commitment to fearless journalism.
These stories may be just a few, but they embody the very DNA of the Star. As a “fresh, independent, different” newspaper, we have never strayed from that ethos.
Over the years, “the smart people who read the Star” have consistently challenged us to dig deeper, to be sharper, and to remain ahead of the curve. That we shall continue to do.
While newspapers globally are battling a fast-changing media landscape, we remain optimistic. There is still a loyal, informed, and curious audience that values print journalism. And we owe it to them to continue evolving while staying true to our roots.
As we look to the future, the Star will continue to reinvent itself—refreshing content, investing in talent, and staying true to the core values that have sustained us over the last 18 years.
We are grateful for the journey so far—and excited for what lies ahead.
IT’S A PAPER WITH LASTING IMPACT—WILLIAM PIKE
I stopped working at the New Vision, the national newspaper of Uganda, in December 2006. I had been the editor-in-chief and managing director since 1986 and the group had been consistently profitable and successful.
Soon after my departure, Patrick Quarcoo, the CEO of Kiss FM and Radio Africa, the company that we started in 2000, rang from Nairobi saying, “let’s start a newspaper in Kenya”.
Patrick believed that if we could get just 10 per cent of the combined revenue of the Nation and the Standard, we could run a profitable newspaper.
From there, things moved swiftly, and we started a newspaper on July 1, 2007, ably led by editor Catherine Gicheru and consultant Frank Whalley.
The idea was to have an irreverent and lively human interest paper, like the Sun in the United Kingdom, that largely ignores politics in favour of the human drama of society.
Our first front-page story was about a nun who became pregnant, but we soon discovered that Kenyans don’t want to pay for pure human interest stories.
They want politics. Perhaps they thought it was a waste of their hard-earned money to buy a purely human interest paper so we evolved towards a mixture of hard-hitting political stories plus the human interest dimension.
That seemed to work and the Star rapidly became a powerful force in the newspaper market. We are now all caught up in the digital revolution.
The irony is that newspaper readership globally is higher than it ever has been.
The Star website now has about five million unique visitors a month, although its print circulation is much lower. The Guardian in the UK has 160 million unique visitors a month but its print circulation is only about a quarter of a million.
Logically newspapers should be earning more but they earn less because digital advertising is much cheaper than a newspaper advert.
Historically a full-page newspaper advert in the Nation could cost Sh1,161,810 but local websites in Kenya are lucky to get a CPM of Sh129 (Sh129 for 1,000 views) which would give nine million digital ad views for the price of one newspaper advert.
Newspaper ads are still more effective than digital ads but this mismatch has dragged prices down. As a result, newspaper advertising has fallen and legacy media houses around the world are struggling to provide the services they once gave.
Thirty years ago most international papers had a correspondent in Nairobi – nowadays there are only a handful. At the same time the proliferation of digital news has caused a serious credibility gap because digital news does not undergo the same rigid vetting as legacy media which insists on fact checking, the right of reply and balanced stories.
The media is in crisis but the Star has survived for nearly 20 years and will continue to thrive because its overheads are much lower than its competitors.
Already the Star is level pegging with the Nation and Standard when website numbers are combined with circulation.
There is no reason why the Star in future cannot take a more prominent leadership role in the newspaper and website market in Kenya.
WHAT THEY SAID
HAMIDA KIBWANA – NOMINATED SENATOR: The Star has consistently provided a platform for diverse voices, helping shape national conversations.
Its political reporting and opinion columns often reflect the pulse of the nation, articulating what many Kenyans need to know.
As it turns 18, the Star remains a vital—if sometimes provocative—source of information in Kenya’s democratic journey. I am particularly grateful for the spotlight it gave me as a nominated senator from the outset.
My experience with the paper has been largely positive; it often dares to cover stories others shy away from, offering bold perspectives on politics, governance, and social issues—though not without occasional bias or controversy.
MUTULA KILONZO JR – MAKUENI GOVERNOR: For a long time in our nation’s history, Kenyans were accustomed to secrecy—sirikali was the order of the day.
Those who dared to speak or think freely were heavily suppressed. In more recent years, we have embraced press freedom and freedom of expression.
The focus has shifed from simply telling the truth to telling it boldly.
The Star has led the way in this transformation.
Over the years, it has revolutionised its content, refreshed its outlook, reimagined its opinion pages and embraced digital platforms.
In Kenya’s darkest hours, citizens can count on the Star to shine brightly.
JAVAS BIGAMBO – GOVERNANCE EXPERT: For nearly two decades, the Star has left a lasting mark on Kenya’s media and public discourse.
It has become the true north of political and socioeconomic awareness. From its humble beginnings as an alternative newspaper, the Star has earned its place as a major national publication.
Now on the path to becoming a leading news channel in both print and digital formats, it is poised to influence national affairs well into the second quarter of the 21st century.
In a world driven and shaped by news, the Star stands as a repository of Kenya’s future history.
ELISHA ODHIAMBO – GEM MP: It is my great honour to congratulate the Star on its remarkable 18th anniversary—a testament to resilience, integrity and innovation in journalism.
For nearly two decades, you have carved out a distinct niche in Kenya’s media landscape, championing bold storytelling, incisive analysis and a commitment to amplifying the diverse voices that shape our national discourse.
Your fearless pursuit of truth, even in the face of adversity, has enriched public debate and strengthened the foundations of our democracy.
As you mark this comingof-age milestone, we celebrate your unwavering dedication to journalism and your role as a beacon of accountability and progress.
May your light continue to shine ever brighter.
SAMSON CHERARGEI – NANDI SENATOR: The Star has stood out as the boldest paper in the country.
Since its entry into the market, it has consistently exposed what others feared to publish.
Through the Star, we have come to understand the ills within society and the challenges facing past governments. Indeed, the Star has operated firrmly within the spirit of Articles 33 and 34 of the constitution, upholding freedom of expression and media independence.
Many of the stories it broke have eventually been proven true. As it marks this important anniversary, I extend my gratitude to the leadership and the dedicated team of reporters who go above and beyond to deliver insightful, wellresearched and deeply analytical journalism.
I see a brighter future for the Star. Continue delivering impactful and courageous storytelling.
*Read more captivating stories of the Star's formative years in special pullout in the Monday Star Newspaper from a vendor nearby.
