For most people, making errors at work has cost them their jobs but for one veteran reporter, this was actually the opposite.
In the early 2000s, Omuga Kabisae, a news anchor, was a household name known for reading obituaries and messages of condolence.
His signature voice stood out and would have most people tuning in to find out if they may have lost their kin bearing in mind that mobile phones and other technological innovations had not fully been introduced to the market. Letters and radio announcements were the primary source of spreading such messages.
However, Omuga unlike other journalists, earned a full-time job at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) after committing a costly mistake that could have him shown the door.
On his radio debut as an intern, he was tasked to announce the demise of a person which he executed perfectly.
Things however took a turn, when he received a message a few hours later that the person he announced had passed had actually resurrected.
Having been compelled by the family of the resurrected man to retract the announcement, Omuga went on air for the second time to make the correction.
Omuga delivered the apology to the listeners in a way that impressed the top management. The error he had earlier made came as a blessing in disguise. He earned a permanent spot reading obituaries and messages of condolences.
Omuga, who is considered among the legends in the media industry, started off in Nyanza where he used to anchor news with the local Luo station.
His big break came after one of the presenters at KBC quit allowing him to apply for the job.
He built himself a name alongside other presenters such as Leonard Mambo Mbotela.
After he retired, condolence messages and obituaries started fading off from most media stations. Most people resolved to sharing information via other social media platforms and through calls.
His departure marked the end of an era.
