Itumbi on Leonard Mambo Mbotela » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 9 – Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi says the late veteran broadcaster Leonard Mambo Mbotela had a huge impact in his life.
While mourning the icon, Itumbi recalled the simplicity of his words and the depth if his storytelling which defined morality.
He further pointed out that his numerous quotes “made us think and brought honour to the profession of scribes.”
“I choose Sunday to pay tribute to Leonard Mambo Mbotela—because it was on Sundays that he entered my life. After church, my grandfather placed his red radio at the granary door, turned up the volume, and for that hour, it was mandatory listening: Je, Huu Ni Ungwana,” he stated.
He further said that “As you take your final bow, I salute you. The voice of a generation. The conscience of a people. Je, huu ni ungwana? Rest well. Safiri Salama.”
He described Mbotela as a man who had poetic cadence and piercing wit.
“Mbotela told story after story, challenging our morality and thoughts. Like Shakespeare, he made us laugh at ourselves—only to leave us pondering, questioning. Je, huu ni ungwana? Nauliza, je, huu ni ungwana?”
He also remembered a time when Mbotela was forced at gunpoint to announce the 1982 coup attempt.
“His voice was so commanding that history itself conscripted it. In 1982, he was forced at gunpoint to announce the coup attempt. That same voice boomed through our village Sundays, delivering lessons on right and wrong,” he stated.
Mbotela‘s death was confirmed by his Family on Friday stating that the late veteran has been ailing for some time.
Leonard Mambo Mbotela, was born on 1940, in Mombasa, and he started his pioneering broadcasting career on 1964 where he was employed at the then Voice of Kenya now Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
In 1966 Mbotela launched the program “Je,Huu ni Ungwana ?” swahili programme which humorously addressed societal behaviors and etiquette.
The show became a staple on KBC radio and television, running for over five decades.
In media interviews about the programme, Mbotela said that he was inspired to host the show after witnessing a woman being apprehended by security officers after stealing two packets of flour at a supermarket within the city.
Mbotela claimed that he questioned the woman’s actions and asked himself, “Je, Huu ni Ungwana?”
Other than “Je Huu ni Ungwana ?” Mbotela hosted other shows including sports, Uhalifu haulipi(Crime does not pay),Ongea Lugha Sanifu and Waliosifika.
Throughout his career, Mbotela was renowned for his distinctive voice and command of the Kiswahili language, captivating audiences with his football commentaries and coverage of major national events.
He retired in 2022 after 58 years of service, making him Kenya’s longest-serving broadcaster in nation’s history.