Glowing tribute to TV screen icon Kasavuli
Veteran journalist and senior prime time anchor Catherine Kasavuli was yesterday remembered as a mentor and a respectful person who dedicated her life to serving people.
Friends, colleagues and relatives who converged at Friends International Church along Ngong’ Road in Nairobi for a requiem mass said Kasavuli was an icon that will forever be remembered.
Politicians who spoke said Kasavuli played a big part in shaping the media industry.
Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba on his part termed Kasavuli an inspiration to many people across the country.
Among the lessons he said Kenyans can emulate from her is “When you are leaving the door, do not bang the door too hard because you might just walk back through the same door.”
He was referring to Kasavuli’s 2020 return to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), where she began her career in 1980.
Former Attorney General Amos Wako said Kenya would never have had such a talented news anchor as Kasavuli.
Azimio la Umoja co-principal Martha Karua hailed Kasavuli for remaining professional to a point that no one would recognise her ethnic background.
“We will all live to remember Kasavuli. She was not only talented but professional in her work. She observed all the ethics and this is something I am urging the new generation to emulate,” she said.
“Catherine always had a smile, an amiable lady a person who loved people and loved life. A person who performed her duties with excellence, always ready to help,” the NARC leader said.
Undergoing treatment
Narrating her visits to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where the late Kasavuli was admitted for months while undergoing treatment, Karua said the journalist was “still wearing her infectious smile.”
“Despite the pain she was in hospital, she was always ready with a hug when we went to hospital,” she said.
Roots Party leader George Wajackoyah revived debate on legalization of marijuana for medicinal use to manage chronic illnesses.
Wajackoyah lamented that cancer is curable and there was need to focus on medical marijuana.
“She has died of a disease that is curable and that’s why I stood up with Marijuana debate. I was not talking of the smoking aspect of it otherwise Jamaica would be a million dollar country. I was talking of Marijuana that cures cancer, Covid-19 and other maladies,” he said.
Her mother Rachel Inyangala who was among the first people to speak described the late journalist as a gift from heaven who always brought joy in her eyes.
“My angel, my precious jewel, perfect gift sent from Heaven and now taken back to Heaven, I love you. I miss you. God gave me the best child, the most obedient, most loving kid, kind, caring TINA. I will forever cherish our moments together,” she said.
Eloquent and smart
Royal Media Services Director of Strategy and Innovation, Linus Kaikai, celebrated an “eloquent and always-smart” Kasavuli for paving the way for professionals in the Kenyan media industry.
“Catherine lies here proud of the industry she inspired. We are learning of the big role she played in the Petri dish of Kenya’s independent television journalism. Catherine had the voice, the face and the soul for television, she lived it,” said Kaikai.
Kasavuli’s son, Martin described her as a happy soul who smiled until the end. “l had a strong bond with my mum. She was prayerful, funny. She was a humble lady despite being a Television star. She didn’t know that she had cancer. We had our high and lows moments during her illness.
“Even during illness she was always concerned about me. Kenyans have stood with us. My mum was cheeky even during her treatment while in hospital. She made people feel comfortable while in the room, encouraged people to pray. She never took sides and this made her trustworthy,” he added.
Schoolmate
Grace Owiti, Kasavuli’s schoolmate at Nairobi’s South B in 1968 eulogised her as an icon gifted in her work.
“She was a great lady and hardworking. She was gifted and an icon who graced our televisions. She was promising,” she said.
Friend and former colleague, Christine Nguku, described Kasavuli as a woman whose life was ever present and significant to everyone.
“Catherine was always reloaded. She was a mentor, a parent…a woman whose smile you couldn’t forget…she wore her best perfume to the last minute. She advised us to stamp authority in whatever we did. Her life was significant to each one of us in the media. To me she was always fresh, new and great,” Nguku.
Kasavuli died aged 60 at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on December 29, 2022 after a long battle with cancer.
Kasavuli was the first female TV News anchor in the country, and is credited with breaking the glass ceiling for female TV journalists in the country.
During her illustrious career which boomed between the 1990s and 2015, she graced Kenyan TV screens in leading television stations including Citizen TV, National broadcaster KBC and KTN.
She would make a return to KBC in 2020, where she hosted the Legend Edition.
The service was also attended by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, and former Busia Senator Amos Wako among other notable leaders.
Kasavuli had been admitted at the KNH since October 26. A colleague at KBC had then informed Kenyans of her situation.
She had recently returned on TV after KBC hired her among veterans to revamp the media house. Kasavuli had taken a four-month break and returned to her Instagram in October.
In November, colleagues and friends in the media industry mobilised people to donate blood for urgent transfusion after she was admitted at KNH.
Kasavuli’s employer KBC appealed for blood donation as she is admitted to Kenyatta hospital’s Private wing.
Cervical cancer affects the neck of the womb and it is the growth of abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix.
Kasavuli will be laid to rest at her home in Zululu, Vihiga county on Saturday.
