Veteran journalist, the late Laston Mutegi Njau has been eulogised as a Fearless journalist who throughout his long career called power to account.
During his burial service at Chuka, in Tharaka-Nithi County, colleagues, friends and family gathered to celebrate the life of the media guru, whose career in the industry spans over 40 years.
Born on December 22, 1949, Mutegi Njau joined Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) in 1979 as a scriptwriter and a producer at the then Voice of Kenya (VOK) and would go on to script the weekly current affairs programme, Dunia Wiki Hii and co-hosting the popular weekly press conference.
In 1981, Mutegi Njau joined Nation Media Group where he wrote for the media house until 1984 when he left to join the pioneering Weekly Review Magazine founded by Hilary Ng’weno.
Mutegi Njau would two years later rejoin Nation in 1986, and specialise in investigative and political reporting and news analysis.
In 1988, his reporting was recognised and he was promoted as News Editor of the flagship Daily Nation title and in 1922 appointed investigative Editor where he was mandated to establish and run the news desk as the Nation embarked on the transition from straight news reporting to in-depth investigations, analysis and news features.
In 1999, when Nation expanded from newspapers to electronic media, Mutegi Njau was tasked with the role of News Manager for both NTV and Nation FM where he worked until 2003 when he was transferred back to his post as Investigative Editor.
Upon his retirement in 2005, Mutegi Njau was approached by Royal Media Services to start and head a weekly newspaper, The Leader and would go on to serve in many roles such as News Editor.
The internationally acclaimed journalist will be remembered as a hard task master who was a tough but caring teacher, trainer, coach and mentor to many young journalists.
“He had a lot of prowess in journalism. He was instrumental in shaping the careers of many young journalists and he has impacted many of the best journalists you see in the media industry today. He thrived to ensure there was excellence and he sacrificed most of his time to shape our careers,” Lucy Kaburia who spoke on behalf of the media said.
“I interacted with Mutegi Njau at a very young stage of my career when I was an intern at Citizen TV. He was instrumental in training and mentoring us and we are grateful to have passed through his hands” – Stephen Letoo, Senior Political Reporter at Citizen TV averred.
Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki eulogized Mutegi Njau as a person who interacted with all classes of people and as an honest and professional journalist who had a distinguished career in journalism.
“He was fearless. He would say the truth without caring who was involved and how powerful they might be. He has left a good legacy in journalism in Kenya”, Governor Njuki said.
“When I was appointed Nairobi Governor, the person I’d go to consult in matters communication was Mutegi Njau. He encouraged and advised me to stand for the truth”, Former Nairobi Governor Anne Kananu said.
Other leaders present included Former Fisheries and Blue Economy PS Prof. Micheni Ntiba and Former Chuka University VC Prof. Erastus Njoka.
Mutegi Njau died on June 27, 2024 after a short illness and was buried at his Ndagani home in Chuka.
– By David Mutwri/ Blaise Gitonga, KNA
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