The late Catherine Kasavuli was blessed with one child, a son she named Martin Kasavuli.
Born in 1981, when Kasavuli was just starting out in her career as a journalist, Martin was exposed to the media industry early in his life.
In an interview with the Standard, the late veteran journalist who died at 60 years after a battle with cancer indicated that at one time, she had to carry her son to the studio because she had no house help.
"I warned him not to cough, belch, breath, sigh or break wind! He sat there at a corner in a tiny little chair and watched me read the news” she revealed in the interview.
Martin would later go on to study at Keele University in England between 2002 and 2005.
He has had a decorated career working on projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and the United Kingdom.
While a student in the UK, Martin got a job with Vodafone in 2004 where he worked part-time as a retention specialist based in Stoke-on-Trent in UK.
According to Martin's LinkedIn profile, he worked with Vodafone until 2006 after which he came back to Kenya to work with The Star Publication as an Agency Sales up until 2008.
The law graduate had a one-year stint in Rwanda with Creative Communications, where he was the head of the Agency before coming back to work with Radio Africa Group in Kenya as the head of Agency Sales.
In 2012, Martin partnered with his mother, Catherine, to co-found Kasavuli Media Group. He is also the co-founder and managing director of Spin Media Africa Limited.
Kasavuli's son has also worked with Nation Media Group as its business development manager and with Oglivy and Mather as the company's managing director in Tanzania before being transferred to Kenya as Oglivy's communications and new business director.
Martin serenaded his mum on her 50th birthday and was afraid of acknowledging the beauty of his mum.
Following Kasavuli's death, Martin has been the go-to person on matters of her mother’s burial and even offsetting the hospital bill.
Martin Kasavuli's Tribute
During Kasavuli's requiem mass at Friends Church, Ngong' Road on Thursday, January 12, Martin indicated that his mother wanted him to follow in her footsteps into the media industry.
"My job was always to be my mother's bodyguard as I grew older and I knew that mommy is Catherine Kasavuli," the Riara Primary school alumni indicated.
Martin also revealed that Kasavuli was a cheerful mother such that even when she was struggling to get him through school, they always shared light moments.
Kasavuli's only son also revealed that in as much as he appreciated the fact that his mother was proud of him, he liked her to keep it quiet.
"One of the fights I had with her was I told her don't put my name in the newspaper when you are being interviewed and don't put my picture," Martin revealed adding that he advised his mother to get a picture from somebody else if journalists asked her for his photo.
The advertising professional recounted how his mother discovered that he had not followed in her footsteps to become a broadcast journalist.
"Recently when she got unwell and I had started a new job, I visited her in the hospital and she asked me what I was doing. I told her that I am in security and she was surprised that things are that bad that you are now a watchman." Martin revealed against waves of laughter from the mourners.
"I said 'no mum, I am in virtual security and actually we are doing quite good things'" he continued.
Martin also revealed that Kasavuli was a prayerful woman, who took care of him and educated him while making him laugh.
Kasavuli will be laid to rest at Zululu village in Vihiga county on Saturday, January 14.
