Patriot and mentor: Veteran journalist Joe Kadhi mourned
Veteran journalist Joe Kadhi.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has led journalists in mourning veteran journalist Joe Kadhi, whom he called a legendary media trainer and a mentor of many media practitioners.
The President honoured Kadhi’s professionalism, noting that he was an exceptional editor who won several media awards and who empowered journalists with skills that enabled them to strictly adhere to their calling and conduct objective reporting, irrespective of their social, political or religious orientation.
“Joe Kadhi was a great Kenyan. He was a patriot who worked hard to ensure the public was well informed through objective reporting. We will forever be grateful to God for having given us Joe as a gift. He has mentored and trained many Kenyans and ushered them into the media industry,” said President Kenyatta.
The Head of State noted that Kadhi will be remembered for preparing journalists to cover the 2017 General Election, which helped build “a strong, peaceful and united democratic country where people are able to respect others' opinions and are free to air their views.
Many journalists expressed their condolences and reminisced about their experiences with Kadhi.
Mr Joe Ageyo, the editorial director in charge of Broadcasting at Nation Media Group, remembered Kadhi as the man who contributed a great deal in making him the journalist he is today. Mr Ageyo praised him as the lecturer who introduced him to the practical world of journalism.
Heroic stories
“At the university, Joe Kadhi would regale all of us with heroic stories in the newsroom when he was the managing editor at the Nation. He had all the stories of how the President called one day and how some of his colleagues stood up. It was always interesting. He had a great grasp of journalism, but he also brought in this practical dimension, which ultimately is what makes one a really great journalist,” said Mr Ageyo.
“He prepared me beforehand on what the ground would look like when you enter a newsroom … when you meet Joe Kadhi, you almost feel like you have been to a newsroom, even if you haven’t,” he said.
Mr Ageyo fondly recalled his mentor’s passion about courageous journalism, a requirement for every journalist who seeks the truth: “One of his most dramatic quotes was ‘publish and be damned’ ... That was one of the profound lessons that I learnt from Joe Kadhi as a journalism trainer.”
Mr Wangethi Mwangi, who was the group editorial director at NMG until 2009 when he retired, recalled how, upon joining the firm, he found Kadhi as managing editor.
He remembered Joe as a very demanding editor, very ethical, professional and supportive.
“He expected that you knew how to apply all the principles of journalism in your edited copy, and that it would reflect the brand of journalism that the Nation promoted. He wouldn’t entertain anything less than that,” said Mr Mwangi, adding that Kadhi was also very friendly, quick on his feet and had a way of lightening a tense newsroom atmosphere by cracking jokes.
“He also had a way of detecting and developing talent. He could see and follow everyone’s progress in terms of skills, demeanor and zest for their work. When he left, they were clear about who was more suitable to take over. He was also very persuasive,” recalled Mr Mwangi.
Ms Zeynab Wandati, the Science and Technology editor at NTV remembered Kadhi, who taught her media law and ethics at the university, as an honest person, so committed to ethics and upholding the rule of law that he would call his writers who threw the rulebook out to correct them and give them a chance to review their work.
“There are a lot of people in the media today who have been touched by Joe Kadhi in one way or the other. You either sat in his class or you were trained by him. He was very consistent in his training. He sometimes liked to use big words in class,” said Ms Wandati.
Veteran journalist
Mr Joseph Odindo, a veteran journalist, and former editorial director at NMG, worked with Kadhi, whom he referred to as a hands-on journalist and the sort of boss who never gave instructions and waited for results.
“He wrote stories and editorials and activated sources. He was a newsroom operator who was well connected. and I remember him as very focused. He was a journalist who got excited about a story, and a very empathetic and fair manager.
“What I will always remember him for is his ability to stand back at a time when there were so many forces bearing on the newsroom such as tribal forces, political … Joe would always present as the independent voice. He loved fun and loved a good laugh. He mingled freely with journalists, and was the type of old-fashioned journalist who saw fun with everything.”
Mr Odindo also remembered Kadhi as one of the first elders of the profession who went into training, which was different, because most elders faded away.
“He was one of the first elders of the profession who made the transition from the newsroom to the classroom and he was a very effective teacher. We will miss him for his knowledge, experience he had garnered and his willingness to share. He has been active in the Media Council and Editor’s guild, helping to guide on matters of the media industry. We will miss him for his affable and charming personality,” he concluded.
