Hillary Ng'weno the octogenarian.

In my childhood days, when most of my agemates were reading Kadogo At School and other such books, I was reading The Weekly Review

There were books and there were newspapers and there were magazines, and then there was Weekly Review, founded, owned and published by Hillary Ng'weno

My appetite for this magazine grew to the next level when I stayed with a brother in Londiani for more than a month

He had a huge library made up all forms of literature. The library also had a section dedicated to Weekly Review, with publications running into the 1970s

There was ample time to read and the environment was good. Instead of revising for my KCPE which was due in one year's time, I buried myself in these Hillary Ng'weno publications, because I knew this was a golden opportunity to read them

Revision, I could get the books back home, again those days I didn't know how to fail any exam, and so there wasn't any need to read or revise

Latter, Hillary Ng'weno started becoming my god, when I learnt that the guy was a physicist who never set foot in any journalism class, despite excelling in the field

This mysterious man studied in Harvard in 1960s, the days when even a class four leaver was a celebrity in a whole location

I kept digging for his work even after his magazine was discontinued in the 1990s. I also heard he had a TV station, but again we Hoof-Eaters, were only introduced to TVs a few years ago

Yesterday, I didn't watch that horror movie that comes every 9PM, called news. I instead chose to sandwich myself inside the beddings concentrate in listening to the pain emanating from my newest diastema, but delegated news watching to Nyar Postmaster, with instructions that she sums up the news for me, leaving useless parts, after watching it

The only news, she brought me, was that of Hillary Ng'weno's demise. The octogenarian, was living in retirement in his home in Busia County home

Indeed he has left a void. He made a huge impact and will be remembered as father of journalism in this country

Buriani Wuod Busia
 
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