Veteran Kenyan broadcast journalist Charles Omuga Kabisae has died after a long illness. His passing was announced by KBC Radio, where he served for many years.

Omuga Kabisae was an icon of broadcast journalism from the era when the state broadcaster was the sole source of news and entertainment in Kenya. He began his career as a vernacular presenter with KBC Kisumu, broadcasting in Dholuo.

In 1990, he transitioned to the National Service and became widely known for his dignified delivery of the radio obituary segment, Matangazo ya Vifo. In those days, when telecommunication technology was still in its infancy and platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media did not exist, radio obituaries were the most reliable way to share bereavement information.

“There was a time I had to redo an obituary to retract a death announcement after the relatives who had submitted it returned to say the deceased had resurrected,” Omuga Kabisae once recalled during Living Legends, a KBC feature documenting notable figures of the past.

Some of his contemporaries on the radio included Billy Omala, Anunda Sakwa, Elizabeth Obege, and Khadija Ali, among others. With his authoritative voice laced with a Luo accent, Kabisae was also a lover of classical music and frequently hosted musical shows.

There are certain songs that instantly bring his memory to mind, one being Maneno ni Sumu by Tanzanian artist Nzing Nzong, performed with the makeshift band Bima Lee, sponsored by an insurance company. Kabisae would sometimes sing along to its lyrics on air.

He will be fondly remembered as a broadcasting pioneer from a time when radio was one of the most important tools of communication in Kenya.

By Jerome Ogola