Leonard Mambo Mbotela gets heroes council appointment

Veteran journalist Leonard Mambo Mbotela [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage Amina Mohamed has appointed Leonard Mambo Mbotela as a member of the National Heroes Council.

The veteran media personality will serve as a member for a period of three years with effect from August 5.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 (3) of the Kenya Heroes Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage appoints Leonard Mambo Mbotela as a member of the National Heroes Council, for a period of three years with effect from the 5^th August, 2022", read the appointment notice.

According to Kenyan Law, the National Heroes council shall consist of not more than 13 members.

Mbotela, who is famous for his 'Je, Huu ni Ungwana?' segment on TV and radio had been unwell and hospitalised for some time before being discharged to undergo home care treatment.

President Uhuru was among the many well-wishers who lent a helping hand to help offset his huge medical bill at the time.

According to a close family member, President Kenyatta paid Sh1 million of the bill in cash while the remaining amount was settled by contributions from Kenyan well-wishers.

Mbotela, who was a long-serving broadcaster at the Voice of Kenya (VoK) that later became Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), last year penned a book on the 1982 coup attempt.

He attributed the delay of his book due to his illness which saw him hospitalised on October 29, 2020.

In a past interview, Mbotela once admitted that were it not for radio, he would have gone into music.

He further gave his concerns on how today's media industry is swamped with increased incidences of fake news, which sadly he was once a casualty of.