This archive report was first published on 8 July 2021.
On July 7, 2021, Kenya lost a veteran journalist, Hilary Boniface Ng'weno, who passed away at his Nairobi home after a long illness. He was 83 years old.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto sent messages of condolence to Ng'weno's family, friends, and relatives, praising his immense journalistic achievements and contributions to Kenya's media industry.
According to President Kenyatta, Ng'weno was a devoted patriot who chose to use his journalistic skills to enlighten Kenyans on the country's political, social, and economic issues, despite having opportunities to work abroad.
Deputy President William Ruto described Ng'weno as the 'father of Kenyan journalism', whose career began as a brilliant scribe but firmly established him as a towering journalist and historian of tremendous power.
Ng'weno pioneered robust, independent, profound, and rich journalism that deepened nascent post-independence democracy and cast a brilliant spotlight on government and governance, as acknowledged by Deputy President Ruto.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga also paid tribute to Ng'weno, saying that for decades, he set an unequalled standard for responsible journalism, promoting press freedom in Kenya and expanding the country's democratic space.
