Joy Doreen Biira


Joy Doreen Biira is a Ugandan media personality with KTN News and DW. She is also a strategic and digital communications consultant, moderator, and speaker. She currently co-hosts a Pan-African and European environmental show called Eco@Africa on the Germany-based television station Deutsche Welle. The show is a partnership with TV stations Kenya Television Network and Channels TV in Nigeria.
Before joining Kenya's lead media house Standard Media Group, Biira worked in Uganda as a news anchor and show host on NBS Television, weekend radio host, and part-time producer for Capital Gang on Capital FM Uganda.

Background

Joy Doreen Biira was born September 5, 1986 to John and Beatrice Baluku in Kasese Uganda.
Biira completed UCE and UACE at Kyebambe Girls School in 2002 and Immaculate Heart High School in 2004 respectively. In September 2005, she joined Makerere University to pursue a bachelor's degree in Information Technology. As an evening program student, in her first year, she worked for a branding company, Branding Uganda Ltd, where she, at 19, dealt with operations and at the same time took Mass Communication classes at Makerere University.

Career

After her second year at that College of Computing and Information Science at Makerere University, Biira deferred school in her final year to gain experience in the media industry. She was trained as a researcher on in-depth stories and general journalistic skills by experts in media consultancy, giving her competitive advantage with the professionally trained journalists. She started as an unpaid volunteer/intern, and was later employed as a weekday morning show co-host at with Shawn Kimuli, broadcasting at the network's headquarters in the capital Kampala, Uganda.
The Morning Breeze on NBS TV is a live broadcast of current news, newspaper reviews, interviews, features and live entertainment. The show was the pioneering breakfast show on Ugandan television. It is an interactive talk show that addresses business matters, health, sport and culture as well as relevant current affairs in a systematic and professional way with live call-ins. The show is viewed in Uganda and across the East African region. It is currently the number one breakfast show in Uganda and runs from 7am to 10am Monday to Friday.
Biira is now the top news anchor for prime time news. She reports on political, business and entertainment stories across the country, where she conducts one-on-one interviews with personalities such as top politicians, business moguls, and entertainment stars.
On September 1, 2008, Biira was called by 91.3 Capital FM, the leading English radio station in Uganda, to audition for a radio show. After just the first round of the auditions, she was hired as radio co-host of the weekend breakfast show, The Dream Breakfast show. She hosted with "Hakeem-The-Dream" and later Shawn Kimuli. Her debut on radio airwaves was on September 6, 2008. She grew to host 91.3 Capital FM's Sunday Drive, an infotainment music variety show that included interviews, news and top music chats. While at 91.3 Capital FM her shows became the most listened to weekend shows.
In 2009, Biira resumed classes for her degree course in Information Technology, which she completed the following year.
Biira joined Standard Media Group in January 2012 as a news anchor, reporter, and show host with Kenya Television Network. She hosts Business Today, a one-hour show that airs across 12 countries on the continent. The show breaks down economic matters to its viewers while speaking to drivers of businesses, identifying the gaps businesses across Kenya and Africa might have and seeking solutions to these challenges. As Kenya is the economic hub of East Africa, business leaders, economists, and analysts make it their business to make an appearance on Business Today, which airs weekdays at 1400hrs East African time on KTN News.
Biira has engaged some of Africa's great minds including Donald Kaberuka former President, AfDB, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, former Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mukhisa Kituyi Sec. Gen. UNCTAD; corporate leaders such as E. Africa’s most profitable company Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore, MD and Regional Head of SEACOM Joseph Muriithi, Barclays Kenya CEO Jeremy Awori, KCB Group CEO Joshua Oigara; policy makers like Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr. Patrick Njoroge, Kenya’s Foreign affairs Minister Amina Mohammed, Kenya's Former Mining Minister Dan Kazungu, Tourism Minister Najib Balala, Former Finance Minister Henry Rotich; International Foundation Directors Dr. Ayo Ajayi, the Gates foundation Director Africa Team, Mamadou Biteye Africa's Managing Director Rockefeller Foundation Africa, Jamaica’s Foreign affairs Minister AJ Nicholson and heads of commissions in Kenya from across Africa.
Between 2013 and 2015, Biira independently produced content for and hosted the Pan-African show Africa Speaks, whose main objective was to grow Intra-African relationships economically, politically and socially.
As moderator, Biira has hosted events across Africa and beyond. She hosted, facilitated and spoke at the African Development Infrastructure and Convention #ADIC2016 organized by AFIDEP in Zurich, Switzerland; the Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa event organized by in Nairobi, Kenya; and the Uganda Social Media Conferences. Some of the content from her moderation events has been aired on television shows in the host countries and on shows she hosts.
In January 2017 she took on an additional role as host to the international news environmental show Eco@Africa, which she co-hosts with Nigeria's Nneota Egbe of Channels TV.
A day after Biira's wedding, she was arrested over a social media post in November 2016 by Ugandan police for allegedly "crossing the red line" during a military operation against the Rwenzururu Kingdom, in which at least 55 civilians were killed.
At the Uganda social media conference 2017, Biira spoke about press freedom, social media and fake news in the ever-changing media environment.

Personal interests

Biira has great admiration for nature and the environment, and is a passionate environmentalist. She participated in the NBS Television Ltd "31 Million Ugandans, 31 Million Trees" country-wide tree planting campaign in Uganda. The campaign was hailed and launched by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda on May 8, 2010. The project is part of a collective effort to mitigate the effects of global warming.
Biira runs a blog called Biira Foundation where she posts her opinions on various topical issues.