By Prudence Minayo
Badi Muhsin was a talented journalist with more than three decades of experience working for the State broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). He believed that as a broadcaster, you had to be willing to learn and prove yourself, and that discipline too was important.
In 2011, he was presented with the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) award by retired president Mwai Kibaki for his contribution to media in Kenya.
Education
The talented journalist attended Kalawa Secondary School in Kitui. He later got sponsored and attended Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC).
Background
The 67 year old Badi was the first born in a family of eight children. His parents were originally from Mombasa but he was born and raised up in Kitui county. His father passed away when he was still young while his mother passed away about 14 years ago.
While in school, he loved drama and excelled as a performer. He took up leading roles in various school dramas and represented his school in drama festivals. So exceptionally talented was he that he was chosen to make announcements during school functions.
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With his love for drama, it was no surprise that he became interested in media. His dream was to have his face on TV one day. His late uncle named Omar Chambati worked for Taifa Leo as a news editor. The uncle greatly motivated him in his dream to join media.
Career
After high school, he attended a number of events and acted as a sort of host. It was in one of such events that he was spotted by the then member of parliament Daniel Mutinda. He urged him to try out for Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, which was still Voice of Kenya at the time.
Badi performed well in the interview and was employed as a Swahili translator in 1980. The job involved translating materials from English to Swahili.
After five years, he was promoted to supervisor. He would later get the chance to present the sports news segment Michezo. Being a fan of sports, he enjoyed this and would collect various sports materials for radio.
The revered journalist would later be assigned to present Swahili news highlights on radio, Mukhtasari wa Habari. After doing an impressive job, he was chosen to present the 9:00a.m. news, followed by the 4a.m. news. He was later moved to prime time news at 1a.m, 7p.m and 9a.m.
In 1989, his dream came into fruition as he was transferred from radio to TV. He was ecstatic with the opportunity and he would urge friends and family to switch on the TV. His mother was his biggest fan.
The veteran journalist once said in an interview that he would never forget the late Mohamed Juma Njuguna. He was great source of encouragement to Badi as he pushed him to be a better anchor.
In 1990, he left KBC and Joined Swahili Leo, a publication by Kenya Times. He worked there as a sports and news reporter.
In 1993, he joined the Kuwaiti Embassy and worked as an information officer. Shortly, he got the chance to go back to KBC as a Swahili TV presenter once again. His Kuwaiti Embassy employers were generous enough to allow him work part time for KBC.
Later he was promoted to public relations at the embassy. He thus became a link between the Kenyan government and Kuwaiti Embassy.
He left KBC once more in 2002 and returned in 2020 to work as a TV presenter once more.
Awards and Recognition
Apart from the OGW award, he:
- Was recognized as one of the best Swahili news anchors by popular author Wallah Bin Wallah in 2010
- Was runner-up for Best Swahili translator award in 1993 in KBC
Family
In July 1980, he married Khadija. She too was from Kitui and grew up in a strict Muslim background. They have two sons, Jamal and Jamil, who are currently in their late 30s. He believed he has raised them with discipline in the proper Muslim way and was proud of how they had turned out.
Death
The legend passed away on Friday, 8th October 2021 in his sleep. His family said the journalist went to bed and never woke up.
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