Former Nation Media Group journalist Sarah Kimani has given a moving tribute to the late veteran journalist Johnson Barasa with whom they worked together at SABC, one of South Africa's leading TV channels.
Kimani, currently an SABC East Africa correspondent, eulogized Barasa as a colleague, family, and friend who had a big hand in her career progression and has played a big influence in her life up to where she currently is.
"I joined the SABC in 2008 as a young mum to be, incidentally taking over from my mentor Linus Kaikai. Barasa held my hand and together we continued telling the African story.
"Our first story was the 2008 post-election violence. We watched and covered fellow Kenyans butcher each other over politics. The story lasted three months with the Annan brokered peace agreement," Kimani recounted.
She further informed that together they have undertaken missions in many countries and almost lost their lives, which she intimated strengthened the bonds between them.
"We cheated death several times. One time at a press conference in Mogadishu, suicide bombers set off the first explosive outside the hall we were in and gunfire followed. I dived under the table. I don't know what he did but when I emerged from there, he was filming," she recounted.
Kimani added that despite the challenges that they experienced in their day to day operations, Baraza was a man who was always dedicated to his work and never wavered in his commitments.
Despite the seriousness of their day to day activities, she stated that there were moments that they took to have fun.
"We joked about death several times. He often told me I will kill him. I one time recommended a dentist, who for three days attempted to pluck his tooth. I accompanied him for three days. The tooth is still in his mouth," Kimani fondly remembered.
"Or when we went to cover a story on beekeeping and he stirred a hive and the bees really stung him (this story never saw the light of day)," she fondly recounted.
To Kimani, Barasa was more than a colleague and had played a huge role, not only in her career but also personal and social progression.
"When he learned that my former employer had paid my dues, he held my hand took me to Syokimau and said, 'At your age, the UN considers you homeless, until you have ur own house,' that's how I owned a home.
"His children were mine and my children were his. On my daughter's last visit to the office, he gave her the SABC mic and asked her to be a better reporter than her mum," Kimani stated.
She thanked the government for facilitating efforts to have Barasa's body return to the country and also thanked friends for standing with them and for facilitating the burial which took place on April 25, in Kitale.
"For 12 years we have told the African story. You only needed to see a big man with a camera and tripod and behind him would be a small woman with a smile and a bag.
"Rest now my friend, father and mentor. Africa is richer because you were one of us. We will continue with your legacy...it is not easy but we must make you proud," she concluded.
