Remembering Catherine ‘Kasav’ Kasavuli: Longtime co-anchor Michael Njenga goes down memory lane
'Good evening I’m Catherine Kasavuli'…….for all the years I
anchored with Kasav (as we fondly called her) that intro always had a nostalgic
feeling on me since I kept remembering how I used to watch her, years back on TV, as she anchored
news on KTN.
She always used to laugh when I told her "I can’t believe I’m anchoring news on the same desk with you.”
Kasav always had a big smile, was warm hearted and had stories from here to Nineveh. On many occasions, we’d finish delivering the bulletin, drive right across our office to Alfajiri and sit in the car while chapaing stories till late (people kept asking nyinyi huongea stories gani?).
I remember when our MD, Mr Wachira Waruru, called me to his office at one time and said, ''Mike, we have a new team coming and I’m thinking of pairing you with one of them but keep it under wraps. I’ll tell you who it is when we officially introduce them to the rest of the team."
I was excited but the day I was told it’s Catherine Kasavuli, I quickly had an urge to visit the urinals. My mind was racing like we say in kikuyu (Mūtwe wakwa wathiaga ta thaa) and I kept wondering whether I'd be able to match her high journalistic standards.
I went quiet for several days and I think she noticed this so on one Thursday afternoon she called me (of course I didn’t have her number I mean it’s Kasavuli we’re talking about). To date, I could hear her smile on the other end of the line and we had a conversation before she asked if we could do lunch together.
We met up for lunch at Palacina and the rest mtasoma kwa my memoirs.
For those who don’t know, Catherine was a very prayerful woman who involved God in allof her endeavours.
Some of them, I believed at the time, didn’t require prayers like this one time we were going to Mombasa as part of a strategy team for RMS. During our usual after news chats, she told me, “Njenga I feel like we need to pray for this trip.”
In my mind I’m thinking "Mama Martin, why pray for a
trip that I’m looking forward to go strategize and later in the afternoon
kamata a whole debe of those cocktails I hear called sex on the beach?"
Anyway, we held hands and prayed and after the trip I knew exactly why she felt in her spirit that we needed to pray before embarking on our journey.
She even introduced fasting days where we’d both pray for our families and our careers.
I’d be lying if I told you that she never got angry because she had her moments; especially with anyone who thought that they could mess with her family. She particularly adored her son Martin and was very proud of him. (I knew Martin before I ever saw him because she’d talk about him in all our conversations)
She also would cut you down to size if you felt that since you’re on screen you should be treated as an almighty news anchor. (I particularly saw her do this to female news anchors)
I have so many things I want to write about Kasav but this is not the forum. All I can say is thanks Mama for holding my hand, walking with me and correcting me like a big sister would do.
Lay down mama, lay down and take your rest; the pain is over and you have fought a good fight and even more so you have left a great mark on our lives.
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