A NEWS ANCHOR WHO ALSO SANG HIS HEART OUT

A Story of Jacob William Maunda

If you are yet to set foot in any far-flung town and would wish to visit, you will really appreciate the input of someone well-versed in the geography of the place to introduce you to the neighborhood as your tour guide.

If the new place you envisage visiting is Mombasa, then you would really appreciate Jacob William Maunda's song, "Nahangaika Mombasa."

Apparently, the composer set out on a journey to trace his lover, Mary Mueni, who had quit her home in Ukambani, Kenya, and left for Mombasa.

The places listed as visited by the composer of the song are Changamwe, Chaani, Magongo, Miritini, Jomvu, Shimanzi, Makande, Makupa, Tononoka, Tudor, Kingorani, Majengo, Ganjoni, Kibokoni, Wandureni, Mwembe Tayari, Mtongwe, Diani, Kisauni, Likoni, and Ukunda, among others. The song is an introduction to Mombasa, sung in a classical, slow rumba style with a very creative rhythm guitar. It is an unforgettable track. It is this kind of music that makes a song stick in a listener's mind for a long time, and possibly a lifetime. So, who was Jacob William Maunda? This is a question that will make us veer away from music. It happens that the musician was not just a musician, but also a journalist who plied his trade with the state broadcaster, VOK (later KBC), as a news anchor.

His name was synonymous with Swahili prime-time news bulletins. For years, he read news for the radio station in an era when radio was the principal source of news for most Kenyans, and VOK dominated the airwaves as the only local radio station. Families gathered around their radio receivers and listened keenly to catch up with what was happening around the globe.

The veteran news anchor was born in Kenya's Eastern Province but began his primary education in Tanzania, where his father worked as a locomotive driver for the East African Railways. Maunda, who was born in February 1950, came back to Kenya from Tanzania to continue his education at Mbukuni Primary School in Kilome in the Lower Eastern region. He later joined Kilungu Secondary School in Kilome for his secondary education, then got employed by the East African Community. He was posted to Tanzania, where he studied a secretarial course at the East African Community College. He worked with the East African Community until the organization collapsed in 1977, when he returned to Kenya. Maunda then joined the state broadcaster and worked for the corporation until his retirement.

Among the big names at the state broadcaster in those days were Ali Salim Manga, Billy Omala, Isaac Anunda Sakwa, Amina Faki, Elizabeth Obege, Anacklet Araba, Hamisi Themo, and many others. The state broadcaster later sponsored him to pursue a diploma course at KIMC in the mid-1980s. In those days, the state literally ran the affairs of the broadcaster in a bid to influence public opinion by skewing what was disseminated. "A minister or a senior state official would call to reprimand you if you did something they did not agree with," Maunda was once quoted as saying in an interview with a local TV station.

He took early retirement to concentrate on music in 2001, but upon retiring from VOK, which had since rebranded to KBC, Maunda still worked for Musyi FM, where he served in a managerial position.

His voice did not just grace the microphones of the state broadcaster; it found its way into music studios as well. His broadcasting career was intertwined with his musical career. Maunda, who was still an active musician and performing at Makuti Vibrations in Machakos a few months before his death, began his music career in his teenage years. It all began while he lived with his father in Tanzania. Together with his agemates, he formed the East African Community Band. He began as a singer but, while there, learned how to play the guitar and became a skilled solo guitarist.

When he came back to Kenya, he formed Mukasu Band, which did not last long before disbanding. That is when he formed Mukaa Super International, a name he adopted from his birthplace.

This is the band he performed with throughout his life. Most people thought he was merely a studio musician because of his engagement as a news anchor at VOK, but that was not the case. He performed regularly in clubs. He was a gifted singer with a smooth baritone voice and an accomplished solo guitarist. Apart from "Nahangaika Mombasa," his other popular songs included "Mkimbizi wa Mapenzi," "Jirani Roho Mbaya," and many others. He also composed a song in praise of Mwai Kibaki, who served as Kenya's president from 2002 to 2013. Maunda died of a heart attack at Kenyatta National Hospital on 13 August 2012. He was survived by two widows and several children. He left his mark in both music and journalism, and the manner in which he juggled the two with ease will remain a subject of admiration for many years to come. These were easily two men in one.

BY JEROME OGOLA

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