• Joe Kadhi Nation Newspapers in 1968, was managing editor for 10 years. He was famous for his column, 'Joe Khadi Asks Why?'
• Later turned to media training, sharpening the skills of some of Kenya's leading journalists and editors.
Image: CHARLENE MALWA
The death of veteran journalist and media trainer Joe Kadhi in a Nairobi hospital on Thursday marks the end of a rich career that lasted nearly six decades.
It is a big loss to the mainstream media, especially to the print that he served since he joined the Nation Newspapers in 1968. He went on to become one of the country's most famous and influential commentators on socio-economic and political affairs.
To many younger people keen on media training and development, Joe was synonymous with academic teaching and journalism workshops. He was an invaluable resource person for media training, especially by the Media Council of Kenya and other organisations.
His last station before he retired a few years ago was USIU-Africa, an institution that has lately distinguished itself as an anvil for honing skills in reporting. He also had a stint with the University of Addis Ababa in the twilight of his career.
However, he played his part in sharpening the skills of some of the leading journalists and editors today through the School of Journalism of the University of Nairobi.
The students of these institutions had the privilege to learn from a guru, who treasured his work and was good at delivering the message to them.
Joe’s long career started in the last years of colonial rule in the early 1960s, when he was attracted to and worked with politicians such Tom Mboya. The trade unionist, who would later become Minister for Constitutional Affairs, when he was assassinated in 1969, is remembered for great organisational skills.
Joe worked for some small independent media such as Sauti ya Kanu, which brought him closer to Mboya, who was one of the influential politicians in what would later in 1963 become the ruling Kenya African National Union (Kanu). Before joining the Nation, he had a stint with the East African Standard.
Image: FAMILY
However, it was at Nation where his column, 'Joe Kadhi Asks Why?' made him a household name. He used the column to interrogate socio-economic and political problems, inviting his readers to reflect on the issues and make the right decisions.
As a columnist, writing for the Sunday Nation, Joe Kadhi built up a big following, with his views seriously considered, 'Why?' became a must-read.
Joe worked alongside other great journalists such as George Githii, Peter Mwaura, George Mbugguss, Philip Ochieng and Ali Hafidh.
Whereas Githii, as the Editor-in-Chief was a maverick, who caused big rifts with the owners and the government, Joe Kadhi was calm and collected, approaching any challenges with a sober mind.
His death, following those of Mbugguss and Ochieng, has brought down the curtain on a generation that contributed immensely to the development of Kenya’s media, especially print.
Joe served as the managing editor of the Daily Nation for 10 years until the early 1990s, when he went full-scale into media training.
In 2015, he was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Media Council of Kenya’s Annual Journalism Excellence Awards. His tenure as Nation managing editor saw a phenomenal growth and developing of the newspaper, as he continued to write his Sunday Nation column.
There was a generational change, as the Mbugguss-Kadhi team gave way to Wangethi Mwangi, who became the Group Editorial Director, bringing a more youthful hue to the management of the leading media group in East and Central Africa.
Though he grew up in Nairobi and worked here most of his life, Joe Kadhi plied his trade in English, but had a good grasp of Kiswahili, considering his roots in the Lamu region.
Kadhi, who had been in poor health in recent years, will go down in the annals of Kenyan journalism as one of the best media practitioners to ever grace the national stage.
(Edited by V. Graham)