In death, Janet Kanini lives on in all of us

The former NTV presenter had battled stage four lung cancer bravely and publicly until she went into remission

Dr Margaret Muiva was on her way back to Nairobi when someone called to condole with her about the death of her daughter. It should have been a cruel April Fools’ Day prank but it wasn’t. My friend Janet Kanini-Ikua, 39, signed off from the world for the last time yesterday morning. She is survived by her husband George and her two children Pedro, 6, and Jasmine, 4.

The former NTV presenter had battled stage four lung cancer bravely and publicly until she went into remission. “Based on earthly statistics, you’re counting days until the day you die,” she told Victoria Rubadiri last October. “How do you want to go out? Do you want to go out miserable, wishing or do you want to prepare yourself in such a way that even spiritually you’re ready to go to heaven?”

She became the unbowed face of the fight against cancer in Kenya, especially after a fundraising concert for her treatment in November 2015 gained national attention.

In 2015, doctors told her husband she had less than six months to live. What doctors initially thought was deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was confirmed as stage four lung cancer in October the same year.

When I went to see her in a routine hospital visit before that diagnosis, she was holding court even in her bed, joking and keeping everyone at ease to cover for the awkward silences. “One of the first pieces of advice that hubby and I got after my diagnosis was that we must have complete faith,” she wrote on Facebook when she announced she was cancer-free in February 2016. “Not praying and then a few hours later opening our mouths to utter doubtful words and think negative thoughts.”

Bubbly and outgoing

It was the positivity and optimism with which she inspired the whole country as she fought an illness that claims as many as 28,000 lives in Kenya annually, according to Government data.

“I am still in shock and struggling to believe that my friend and dear cousin has gone to sleep with the angels,” media personality Kalekye Mumo told me. “We had a lot in common being the bubbly and outgoing girls of the family. Her zest for life, her beautiful smile and laughter will be sorely missed.”

Janet’s love for her family, life and people around her is what everyone remembers. On screen as in real life, her smile radiated friendship and a personality that the little box couldn’t fully transmit.

Mercy Maroma, the NTV production manager describes her as the epitome of friendship. “My dad was diagnosed with cancer and during his illness Janet would constantly walk the journey with me, from phone calls, late night visits when I broke down, milkshakes to get me through my days and tears, as well as financially because she knew how hard it was caring for a cancer patient,” she said.

On social media, many tributes to the presenter-entrepreneur-campaigner mentioned her overflowing heart. “Her Misery was her Ministry and through her journey with cancer she taught us to never let anything steal our joy and that we must always fight to the very end,” Grace Msalame, who started out with her at KTN, wrote.

She was the launch presenter of the travel show Out and About from June 2004 to October 2006. That experience inspired her to start a tour company called Exotic Expeditions which she ran until her death.

Janet wrote on her LinkedIn page that she wanted to be hotel manager but she couldn’t raise the funds to study in Switzerland. While studying for her Bachelor of Education at Kenyatta University, she joined its famed theatre group and it set her on her future path in the media. In December 2007, she joined NTV as a news anchor but also filed compelling feature stories while still running her firm.

“Janet was one of the most remarkable news anchors this country has ever had, she was very hardworking.

“Many of us thought she had won this battle After she went through it with a lot of determination and we were all won over with her confidence,” Linus Kaikai, the NMG General Manager for Broadcasting said.

Similar sentiments filled the internet as Kenyans came to terms with the passing on of a face they have seen on TV for almost a decade and a half. “I had hoped she would beat the cancer. She fought so bravely,” tweeted Mugo Kibati. “Sad, my heart goes out to her husband, children and family.”

Janet met George before she was on television and the magic of their relationship was greatly admired after she became ill. “I draw my inspiration from my husband and my two young children. I am a wife and a mother of very young children and they need me whether or not they like,” she told me with a grin on #theTrend TV show in November 2015.

“I intend to be around to harass my children’s future boyfriends and girlfriends, that’s why I have declared I will live 120 years in the land of the living. I will talk to my grandchildren, I am well.”

Ever the woman of faith, she didn’t let her diagnosis put her down and she spent her days giving speeches, interviews and generally living her best life now. “Even when you don’t get a miracle, you can be a miracle,” she tweeted on February 26, 2017. “Prepare yourself for the Kingdom and inspire others. Don’t let cancer still your joy.”

That is why she set up the Kanini 4 Africa Foundation because she wasn’t going to let cancer win.

In our 2015 interview, her husband George described the experience as taxing. “I have told her we have to keep seeing the silver lining in this cloud,” he said. “We would want to start having conversations around how we can help people so that they don’t go through what Janet has been through because we can’t open a PayBill account for the whole country.”

True friend

Her last job on television was hosting the N-Soko Property Show on NTV. To understand the kind of person Janet was, consider her relationship with her long time producer Mercy. “She would drop everything and come over anytime I needed a shoulder to cry on. During my dad’s funeral service, she came and stood by me again even though she was fighting her own battles. She was a selfless and true friend. I will miss her terribly.”

Even those who never met her were in awe of her courage. For those like me who were privileged to know her personally, she was a star, a light that has gone out of our lives. “I remember watching her on the Churchill Show happy and grateful to everyone,” said @Shiku923 on Twitter. “I remember admiring her strength and determination.”

She lost her hair in the many rounds of chemotherapy but never her smile nor her spirit. I admired her tenacity and her faith even in the most difficult of situations, still encouraging everyone and still full of life. Thank you for the memories, my friend, sleep well.

@Larry Madowo

The writer is a news anchor at NTV. [email protected]