Celebrated Kenyan journalist and former BBC Focus on Africa host Sophie Ikenye has been hospitalised back home in Kenya with her family revealing she has been battling an illness for more than eight months.
Ikenya, 50, is set to undergo urgent hip surgery, a condition that has taken a heavy toll on her health, the family said.
In a heartfelt appeal, the family shared the financial strain of supporting her treatment.
"For the past eight months, Sophie has been undergoing treatment at various medical facilities. As a family, we have done everything possible to support her medical care, but we have now exhausted all available funds," they said.
They are now reaching out to well-wishers, fans, friends, and family for help. The family has set a target of raising KShs5 million (about Shs158 million) to cover the cost of her urgent surgery and ongoing treatment.
A Paybill number has been provided to facilitate donations, and the family expressed immense gratitude for any support: “Your prayers, kindness, and generous contributions will mean the world to us during this difficult time."
Sophie Ikenye’s career has spanned decades, leaving a remarkable legacy in the media industry. She joined BBC World News in 2011, where she hosted Focus on Africa, a programme that explored pressing issues across the continent, bringing global attention to African affairs.
Focus on Africa is the flagship news and current affairs programme for Africa on the BBC World News.
In 2009 she started presenting Focus on Africa's radio edition, which she did for three years before the program went onscreen in 2012 where she continued to present it, and remains one of the main presenters of the show.
She remained with the programme until 2019, establishing herself as one of the leading voices in African journalism.
Prior to her time at the BBC, Ikenye contributed her talent to other major Kenyan media outlets, including KBC, Citizen TV, and NTV Kenya, where she earned a reputation for her sharp reporting and thoughtful analysis.
Away from Focus on Africa, Ugandans will remember Ikenya for 2017 cameo on local media when she, alongside Peter Okwoche, Paul Bakibinga, Salim Kikeke and Dayo Yusufu visited the country where they broadcast Focus on Africa for a week.
Back then, BBC Focus On Africa television and radio, along with the BBC Swahili TV programme, Dira ya Dunia, hit the road together to broadcast live from Uganda for a week from January 23 to 27, 2017 - first time the programmes came together to broadcast from the continent.
While in Kampala, Ikenye was featured as a guest celebrity anchor on the PM Live news on Urban TV.
Over the years, she has been a voice of reason, shedding light on the most critical issues affecting Africa, from politics to human rights, and her work has had a lasting impact on viewers and aspiring journalists alike.
Born on February 9, 1975, Ikenye has become a household name in African journalism, and her influence continues to resonate across the industry.
As Ikenye fights to recover, her family, friends, and colleagues are hopeful that the funds needed for her treatment will be raised.
The support she has received from the public, particularly on social media, underscores the significant role she has played in shaping African journalism.