I was deeply saddened to learn this morning of the passing of Kitavi Mutua, a colleague and friend whose life was tragically cut short by the very creature he so often wrote about.
I first crossed paths with Kitavi in the late 1990s when he burst onto the Kitui media scene as a correspondent for the Weekly Citizen.
Our professional interactions grew closer years later when he took on the role of Kitui correspondent for the Daily Nation.
Back then, he was a diminutive, respectful, and deeply enthusiastic young man who was always eager to learn the ropes of journalism.
Over time, he blossomed into a firm, hardworking, and unrelenting writer of high standards who refused to settle for surface-level “he-said-she-said” reporting, dedicating his craft instead to compeling, rigorous investigative and analytical pieces.
Every story he wrote- be it on Health, Agriculture, Environmental Conservation, Crime, Education or Politics- was a thorough explainer, beyond routine reporting.
Kitavi wrote extensively about the quiet tragedies inflicted upon humanity by the reptiles of Kitui, making it a cruel conspiracy of fate that he should ultimately succumb to a snakebite.
It is especially heartbreaking for me to think that he did not benefit in time from the advances of modern medicine that could have saved this wordsmith.
While I respect his faith and recognize that the Lord who gives and takes life has ultimate wisdom, this sudden loss is a profound blow to journalism and to all who knew him.
May his soul find eternal rest.
- Martin Masai