The late Leonard Mambo Mbotela
By Joseph Kamutu Mwangi
Worth Noting:
- The venue of my initial meeting with the remarkable and phenomenal broadcaster was “Bam Bam” Bar on Eastleigh’s 1st Avenue, 12th street, an entertainment joint, patronised mostly by people from the Miji Kenda community living in Nairobi.
- I was personally introduced to the legendary broadcaster by Musa Kitunga Jefwah (now deceased) who was then an Editor with Taifa Leo. Jefwah had earlier left VOK newsroom to join the Nation Media Group.
- I was then 21, and was at the time helping out my father at his tea and grocery kiosk, also located on Eastleigh’s 12th street, having earlier finished my Advanced Level High School education, as I waited to join a University in India, which in a “twist of fate” did not happen.
I first met the legendary VoK radio broadcaster; Leonard Mambo Mbotela; one of my childhood idol and icon, in 1983.
This was just shortly after the aborted 1st August 1982 coup, which was staged by rebel Air Force soldiers, in an attempt to overthrow the then nascent government of Daniel Arap Moi.
As it were, the veteran radio broadcaster, famous for his highly popular radio show “Je, Huu ni Ungwana” would find himself in the thick of things, as the main coup plotters had at the crack of dawn on that fateful Sunday morning, picked him up from his house in Ngara and escorted him to VOK, now KBC (Broadcasting House), where they forced him to read a statement announcing the “short lived” coup, under gun point.
The venue of my initial meeting with the remarkable and phenomenal broadcaster was “Bam Bam” Bar on Eastleigh’s 1st Avenue, 12th street, an entertainment joint, patronised mostly by people from the Miji Kenda community living in Nairobi.
I was personally introduced to the legendary broadcaster by Musa Kitunga Jefwah (now deceased) who was then an Editor with Taifa Leo. Jefwah had earlier left VOK newsroom to join the Nation Media Group.
I was then 21, and was at the time helping out my father at his tea and grocery kiosk, also located on Eastleigh’s 12th street, having earlier finished my Advanced Level High School education, as I waited to join a University in India, which in a “twist of fate” did not happen.
I was also at the same time looking for a job at VoK, through one of my father’s friends, who was a senior government HR officer.
It is through the separate combined efforts of both my father and Jefwah, that shortly thereafter enabled me to secure a part-time job at the VoK newsroom, which again shortly thereafter translated to both a permanent and pensionable job.
And that is how the story of the Indian University came to an abrupt end.
Strangely, I had also met Jefwah during the tough and tense period which followed the failed coup after Moi declared a 24hr curfew, and which was later reduced to 12hrs after calm and nolmacy slowly began to return to the City.
Jefwah lived in a house on the nearby “Wood street,” later “nicknamed,” Jam street and which is today the home of the famous Garissa Lodge.
In the aftermath of the failed coup, my father’s kiosk happened to be one of the only few kiosks which remained open in the “volatile” neighbourhood, thanks to my deep desire to serve my customers, even under the then difficult situation.
As it were, I had on the night of the attempted coup, found myself on the night shift at my father’s kiosk which was a 24hr outfit because of its proximity to the busy Eastleigh Kenya Bus depot, only to be thrown into a state of turmoil at 3am, following sound of heavy gun fire coming from the direction of the nearby Eastleigh Airforce base, which was one of the rebel air force “mutiny” battlegrounds.
As it were, the Eastleigh Air base and its environs experienced some of the heaviest fighting between the rebel soldiers and loyal Army soldiers.
I was to remain trapped at the kiosk for the next few days, following the declaration of a nationwide curfew by President Moi.
I had in the intervening difficult period to work very hard, to ensure my customers got their regular supplies of essential items such as Milk, bread, soda and eggs.
And with the curfew in place, my father was also trapped in his house in Kawangware, and therefore did not make it to the kiosk, until two weeks later.
Early one morning, shortly after the failed coup, Jefwah sauntered into our kiosk desperately looking for milk and bread which were not readily available elsewhere in the neighborhood, because of the chaos that ensued after the attempted coup.
It is during one of our initial conversations that I learned my new found friend was a journalist, and it is then that I disclosed to him that my childhood dream was in fact to become a journalist like him. I told him that I would really appreciate if he would help me to secure a newsman job at VoK, a process which I had already started.
Jefwah would later introduce me to Mambo at Bam Bam bar, where the late extraordinary and highly talented radio broadcaster was a regular patron from mid morning on Saturdays.
I would earlier on show up at the bar, which was just a stone throw away from our kiosk, every Saturday morning before noon and position myself at a vantage position, from where I would get a better glimpse of the “living” legend as I sipped my favourite Pepsi soda.
… But that was before Jefwah personally introduced me to the Broadcasting icon, who was to go on to become both my workmate and close buddy for the next 20 years, at Kenya’s premier and national broadcaster, KBC.
My father now aged 85, was then an ardent soccer fan, and really loved Mambo’s captivating live soccer commentaries in the 80s and 90s, particularly when his favourite team, AFC Leopards was in action.
To cut a long story short, I would later in October of that year (1983) land the much coveted news writing job at the VoK newsroom, which included writing Kiswahili and English news for both Radio and TV bulletins.
My childhood icon, the late Mambo who was by this time, not only my friend but also a father figure, was to become my motivator and professional colleague at Broadcasting House, fondly known as BH for the two decades, I worked there.
It is during this very eventful period in my life, that KBC sponsored me for professional training as a journalist both locally and overseas.
I consequently rose through the ranks to become a senior news editor at the KBC newsroom, much to Mambo’s delight; one of my mentors and encouragers.
Even after I left KBC in 2005 to join the Ministry of Information and Communication Hqs, at Telposta Towers, where I served as a personal assistant to the then Minister for Information and Communication, Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, Mambo would often pay me a visit there to see how I was fairing on.
He was indeed very proud of me, having gradually witnessed my growth at both the professional and personal levels, from an early age of 21.
I’m today a senior citizen and I look back with great pride because of the many young men and women who I have nurtured and mentored during my long and winding Journalistic career, spanning almost four decades, while walking in Mambo’s footsteps.
Go well Legend …Your contribution to the country’s broadcasting industry, will not only remain embedded in the history of broadcasting in Kenya, but you will always remain etched in the minds of all those whose hearts and lives you touched, in your long long Broadcasting career.
Your highly educative and captivating masterpiece landmark radio show: “Je, Huu ni Ungwana”; will continue to occupy a special place in the country’s national values and ethos in matters Integrity and social norms …
RIP Leonard Mambo Mbotela
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