Name Shingi Mararike
Age / How old / Birthday / Date of Birth / DOB As of 2025, he is around 29 years old. A 2018 article on him in Journo Resources had mentioned his age as 22 back then.
Wedding & Marriage / Spouse / Engaged / Partner Currently not married, possibly single. Check the full bio for relationship details.
Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Shingi Mararike is a journalist and a former correspondent for The Sunday Times, covering a wide range of national and international news issues as a general reporter with a focus on news and investigations. Since starting his career in 2018, Shingi has dedicated his writing to exploring racial issues, social mobility, and youth violence. He is currently North of England Correspondent for Sky News, based in London but covering stories across Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and surrounding areas.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Born and raised in Newham, East London, Shingi Mararike is a true “East London lad.” He comes from a family of two children, with a brother named Shumi (approximately 25 years old in 2025) and a devoted mother named Carol Gurajeno.
- Carol played a remarkable role in Shingi’s life, fulfilling both parental roles and demonstrating exceptional strength. Growing up in their modest two-bedroom home in Newham, Shingi developed a sense of independence and resilience. He acknowledges his mother as a superwoman who effectively handled their family responsibilities, allowing him to navigate life without the presence of a father. Shingi remains grateful for his mum’s unwavering support and the stable upbringing she provided.
- In his Byline article (June 16, 2019), Shingi shared that he has never had the opportunity to celebrate Father’s Day due to his father’s absence. His father left before Shingi was born, and he occasionally looks through old family photo albums to see a picture of them meeting at the airport when Shingi was around two years old. Despite his father’s brief visits, Shingi has only seen him twice in his life. The last encounter occurred when Shingi was ten years old, and his father, still sporting plaits in his hair, gave him and his brother some money before leaving abruptly.
- Now as an adult, Shingi enjoys socialising with fellow journalists, attending concerts, and staying active through tennis, running, and gym visits. His Instagram bio reads: “North of England Correspondent @skynews, occasionally found elsewhere. Mainly work on here, sometimes life too.”
Early Life and Education :
- Shingi pursued his passion for journalism from a young age. He discovered his ability to write for money at around 14 years old and set his sights on becoming a journalist. He initially planned to work as a sports journalist due to his love for tennis, even starting a sports blog on tennis that his mother spent time editing.
- From 2014 to 2017, Shingi completed his bachelor’s degree in English, British, and Commonwealth Literature at the University of Warwick. During his undergraduate years, he revised and worked on “The Boar,” a paper he wrote, and served as editor-in-chief. He contributed to sports coverage of the Warwick/Coventry Panthers ice hockey team and other student media projects.
- In September 2017, Shingi completed a 22-week fast-track program at News Associates, officially the top NCTJ journalism school in the UK, and earned a gold-standard diploma in NCTJ Fast Track for Multimedia Journalism.
- While still a student, Shingi played a key role in creating the News Academy, a diversity project by News UK. In 2017, he became The Sunday Times’s first-ever apprentice, starting his training at NCTJ-accredited News Partners in Wimbledon. Shingi was hired through News UK’s free summer program for aspiring journalists and worked alongside five apprentices from The Sun.
Work, Career, Salary and Net Worth :
- The Young Journalists’ Academy helped Shingi take his first steps into the field of journalism. Before that, he had never interacted with a reporter or had anyone read his writing except his mother.
- He joined The Sunday Times as the publication’s first-ever paid apprentice, working for three years and nine months from August 2017 to April 2021. Shingi started as a news reporter and worked his way up, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the award-winning school paper “The Boar” during his time at the University of Warwick.
- Shingi attributes his career success to persistence, consistency, and courteous interest in others’ occupations. He absorbed himself in The Sunday Times’ way of life, becoming one of the few authors contributing to ten distinct sections in only two years. He also appeared on Times Radio during this period.
- In April 2021, he joined Sky News, initially as a news correspondent in London, before being promoted to North of England Correspondent. He covers major stories across northern regions including Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and surrounding areas.
- Shingi has worked on high-profile international stories, including covering the 2024 US Election from Arizona and traveling to Rwanda in 2022 to report on the UK government’s failed plan to send asylum seekers to the country. He has also reported extensively on mental health support programs, care home investigations, the UK’s ketamine crisis, protests against asylum seeker housing, and social isolation during Christmas (2024–2025).
Awards and Recognition :
- Mararike has been recognised for his outstanding efforts and determination. He received the Outstanding Effort and Determination award from Brampton Manor Academy in December 2014.
- He was runner-up in the London Schools and The Black Child Awards for exceptional A-Level academic achievement in October 2014.
- In 2025, Shingi won one of the MHP Group’s “30 To Watch” awards for rising stars in British journalism, and was nominated for Young Journalist of the Year at the Society of Editors Media Freedom Awards.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- From January 2013 to January 2018, Shingi achieved the distinction of becoming the youngest certified coach at the Redbridge Sports Center in London. At 17, he utilised his skills and expertise as a county-level player to assist numerous clients in enhancing their sports performance. He conducted a variety of coaching sessions, catering to diverse age groups and skill levels.
- Shingi has volunteered in sports coaching for the Landon School Sports Trust since July 2014, helping to deliver sports days across East London schools for children of various ages and abilities, demonstrating a strong commitment to community engagement and youth development.
- From February 2014 to April 2021, Shingi served as an ambassador for The News Academy, actively promoting its mission to inspire and empower aspiring journalists. He delivered keynote addresses, mentored students, and assisted in organising workshops and events across the UK. He was selected from a nationwide pool of applicants to participate in the inaugural News UK News Academy Summer Program.
- He is bilingual in English and French, enabling him to cover international stories effectively and engage with diverse sources.
- According to an Evening Standard article by Joe Talora, Shingi received an apology from Transport for London after claiming to have been racially profiled by a ticket inspection agent. Shingi tweeted that he was stopped on a DLR train and accused of avoiding payment due to his resemblance to someone who had evaded fares. He clarified that he hadn’t been at the station the previous day and had only passed through it once that year. The ticket inspector later admitted to catching Shingi on video in the past and had assumed his guilt, highlighting an instance of racial profiling.
- In the summer of 2020, he documented the Black Lives Matter movement and published detailed reports on county-line drug gangs’ involvement in child exploitation, highlighting systemic issues and social injustice.
- In a 2018 interview with Journo Resources, Shingi described his daily routine: starting at 7 am with Radio 4’s Today Program and newspapers, compiling story ideas on Tuesdays, seeking approval, and then meeting sources on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. He maintains regular contact with the news desk and builds strong relationships across departments.
- Shingi emphasises the importance of data-driven skills alongside traditional reporting. He noted that if he could start over, he would prioritise the ability to analyse data and draw evidence-based conclusions while maintaining essential reporting skills, such as performing death knocks and accurate investigative work.
- As an undergraduate, he wrote a piece on acid assaults in schools, inspired by his brother’s observation that students were bringing acid into school. During his internship at The Sunday Times, he suggested the idea, which initially met with apprehension but eventually gained significant interest. The story led to the “Acid Attack Britain” campaign, a signature achievement in his career.
- In a piece (Dec 18, 2015) titled “What to do if you’re struggling at university” for The Independent’s student issues section, Shingi highlighted the overwhelming pressures students face to maintain social lives, achieve good grades, and plan for employment, noting the damaging consequences of trying to balance these demands without support.
- During a societal diversity debate on Nov 19, 2020, Shingi shared his newsroom mentorship experience, noting that while representation remains limited, effective mentoring can foster inclusivity. He highlighted the pressures on working-class Black men and advocated for skills-based diversity rather than quota-driven inclusion.
- On a typical day, Shingi reads morning papers, maintains frequent contact with the news desk, cultivates relationships with colleagues, and constantly monitors digital sources to stay updated.
- Shingi is represented by literary agent Charlie Campbell at Greyhound Literary Agency.