For those who grew up in the 1970s through to the 90s, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s (KBC) Kiswahili and English services were the only source of news, entertainment and education.
From the husky voice of Leonard Mambo Mbotela to the soothing and melodic voices of Elizabeth Omollo in English service and Elizabeth Obege in the Kiswahili wing, the household names were the admiration of millions of Kenyans.
The voices that boomed out of the radio sets across the country were household names. Today, the newscasters, a constellation of melodious voices behind the mics will have the opportunity to mingle with hundreds of fans including members of the media, influential people and Kenyans of goodwill at the Carnivore Simba Saloon in Nairobi from 3pm to honour legends of broadcasting in a special way.
Those celebrated are the trailblazers in the broadcast industry who have commanded the airwaves for many decades and have risen to become the most admired radio hosts.
Seasoned broadcasters
Sundowner host Catherine Ndonye, who is among the key planners, says legends including Omollo, Mbotela, Fred Obachi Machokaa, Khadijah Ali, Ali Salim Mmanga, John Obongo Junior and Larry Wambua are among the seasoned broadcasters to be recognised, entertained and celebrated for their legacy of presenting outstanding programmes and mentoring many contemporary journalists.
“Legends live among us but they have often been abandoned despite their significant contributions to society. Their once blazing fame has been left to glitter,” says Ms Ndonye, who has been hosting the Sundowner show for about 16 years now.
Like many listeners, Ndonye reminisces the days she grew up listening to and admiring Elizabeth Omollo who entertained, informed and educated society through musical programmes like Let’s go Country.
Omollo is also remembered for presenting radio news with outstanding eloquence and command of the English language as well as hosting programmes targeting school children. Her Hello Children Saturday morning show is remembered for the signature tune; ‘Hynie the laughing hyena’.
“Elizabeth was the first African female presenter to be accepted on the English Service (General Service) radio. It had not been easy for locals to get on board considering the station was started by the British during the colonial period,” Ndonye says.
She added: “Elizabeth, on some of the programmes such as the Youth Variety Show, was the voice that spoke to us about topics our parents were either too busy or shy to address. She tackled issues of puberty, relationships and youth reproductive health in general.”
Mbotela, who will also be honoured as a living legend, has been in charge of Jee huu ni ungwana?, one of the oldest shows on radio today. Mbotela, who retired from KBC is still steering the show, preaching morals at KBC Radio Taifa.
This writer met with Mbotela along the corridors of KBC where he spoke about the celebration organised by Sundowner family that has him slotted as among the top living legends. “I am one of the strongest fanatics of Sundowner. While at work at KBC, where I am now working on contract, I call them to request for Amanda by Don Williams,” said Mbotela.
“Sundowner show and its fans are just one powerful family of love. The show is most liked because it is entertaining and reminds people of the past,” he added.
Among the legends is ‘wicked weekend man’ John Obongo Jnr, who has been presenting the show for over 40 years now. He is currently in charge of the show during the weekend as Ndonye takes charge on weekdays. He will be hosting the show today at the venue as part of the celebrations.
Former Sundowner presenters Larry Wambua and Toepista Nabusoba will also be present. Guest DJ will be John Karani, a legendary radio host popular for KBC’s programmes including Beat Time Show, Saturday Night Show and Groove Time.
Live performances will be led by Kenya’s king of country music Sir Elvis, who recently bagged the Best Male Vocalist of the Year award in an intense competition at the town of Jefferson in Texas, United States. He will be joined by musical band Them Mushrooms.
The journey to starting the Sundowner Sunset Date, which now accommodates a celebration of the living legends, started many years ago. It was generated by fans who are now over 300,000 on Facebook, who were eager to physically meet with show hosts.
The fans are also very active in tweeting about the show as it runs between 5 pm to 7 pm, where it trends almost every evening when Ndonye is behind the wheel. Fans of the show on Twitter call themselves the Sundowner Twitter Brigade.
“With technology came a chance to be in contact with the audience, some of whom are so knowledgeable about the music and will remind you of certain songs they have not heard on-air lately. You must listen to the audience and that is what we are doing,” said Ndonye, adding that it is a celebration of the show itself as a legendary programme, a heritage brand that has survived despite digital and cultural disruptions
Ndonye said when she started the Sundowner Facebook page in 2009, fans demanded to meet presenters one-on-one.
Before social media, radio was still very mysterious and fans did not know the presenters’ faces. On December 20, 2011, one fan, Mathew Gathua who owns Valentine Cake House pushed for the sunset dates.
“We later held the first event’ attended by thousands of fans’ at former Club Reminisce at the Wilson Airport. From then, we ended up hosting the show quarterly, live on location and even showing it on TV,” said Ndonye. It was an emotional date that had the late Nzau Kalulu, a former Sundowner host in attendance as the guest despite his deteriorating health.
“By then, Nzau was suffering from kidney failure. He had undergone a kidney transplant and one of his legs had been amputated. He was wheelchair-bound,” Ndonye said.
Ndonye, who introduced Music Masters, a biographical segment on life stories of specific music artists at each show, could hardly hide her anticipation during the interview.
“It is only a few individuals who can handle the depth of classic music especially when you consider having an informed audience. If you have little knowledge, you will run out in a short time and you will find yourself wondering what to play next,” said Ndonye. She added, “We work backwards. Every day I think backwards, doing a lot of research on yester-years’ music; it is a lifetime thing to sustain the show and have it make sense,” she said.
Other previous Sundowner presenters include Tabitha Mutemi, Pamela Mburia, Josephat Ngige and Jacob William Maunda. “The fans are really excited about it. The celebration will be the greatest show ever,” said Ndonye.
