Veteran journalist and prime time news anchor Catherine Kasavuli has died following a battle with cancer, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Managing Director Samuel Maina has confirmed.
“It is true. She passed on yesterday night. It is related to the cancer ailment that she’s been bravely fighting in the recent past,” he said.
In November, colleagues and friends in the media industry mobilised people to donate blood for urgent transfusion after she was admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital late October, battling cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer affects the neck of the womb and it is the growth of abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix. Worldwide, this disease ranks as the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women and yet is a preventable disease.
Following the news of her death, colleagues in media sent condolence messages and praised her as a veteran journalist who has left a gaping hole in the industry.
Ms Kasavuli, in her personal capacity, has in the past helped many people seeking medical treatment. She would use her social media platforms to mobilise Kenyans to raise funds for patients who are seeking urgent treatment. The most recent case was of a baby who was born with a congenital abnormality.
Since the 1980s, Ms Kasavuli, often known as the TV queen, has played a significant role in Kenyan media.
Before retiring in 2015, she was one of the first anchors to host a live television program for a privately held TV station in the 1990s.
Ms Kasavuli returned to KBC in 2020, where she now hosts the Legend Edition show every weekend.
