Veteran braodcast journalist, musician dies

Veteran journalist Jacob William Maunda is dead. The radio journalist died on Thursday night at Kenyatta National Hospital after a short illness. Relatives said Maunda has been suffering from a heart condition and high blood pressure and had been admitted at the Nairobi Hospital a month ago before being discharged.

He went home to recuperate and it was not until Thursday that he was taken back to hospital after falling ill sick again. Doctors had said he required heart surgery. Maunda is best remembered for his long stint at the Kenya broadcasting corporation then called the voice of Kenya (VOK) where he worked for several years.

He joined the royal media group in 2006 and worked as head broadcaster for its vernacular kamba radio station, Musyi FM until his death. Survived by 14 children,12 boys and 2 girls, Maunda got his early and secondary education in Tanzania and his command for the swahili language was impeccable.

On the side, Maunda was also a musician having formed the Mukaa super international band in Kilome,Makueni county where he hailed from. A dark cloud of gloom hung over Machakos town yesterday as news of his death spread with many saying they had not seen a man comitted to his job like Maunda.