NTV political reporter Duncan Khaemba has recalled how his interview with lawyer and former chairman of Gor Mahia, Ambrose Rachier, affected his daily routine and relationship with his circles.
The 60-minute interview exposed the intricate operation of the Freemasons, a secret controversial society Rachier claimed he was subscribed to.
According to Khaemba in a series of posts on his pages, the promotion of the interview, before the clip was aired, sent shockwaves in every sector including the media and churches.
"As a result, those in the underworld were coming out, and colleagues in the office began questioning my true identity while outside the office, the promo clip was literally in every church group and by Sunday everyone was waiting for the interview," he recalled.
During a church service he attended before the much-anticipated interview was aired on Sunday, October 2, the congregants stared at him, apparently also questioning his interaction with Rachier. Their demeanour further pushed Khaemba to ponder how controversial the subject was.
"I went to my local church and as fate would have it, that Sunday congregants were asked to sit in groups for purposes of knowing one another. The moment I mentioned my name all eyes turned towards me. They asked, are you the one? I didn't know how to respond to their questions.
"When it was over, the team lead offered to pray for me just in case I had 'crossed over'. I guess the Reverend was already in the know because I met him outside the church. Even though he was randomly shaking hands with congregants when I mentioned my name he firmly held mine. We talked briefly and off I went," he narrated.
The ripple effect of the interview was more than he had imagined as his phone was ringing endlessly, to quote, "like a police station line".
Khaemba, a former KTN new journalist added that he blocked all calls but his circles flooded to his WhatsApp to leave countless messages in his inboxes (DMs).
Online, his memes and name were trending that at one point even his former classmate in high school asked that they all remember him in prayer.
Rachier, who came out as a Freemason, was irked by how the interview generated heat, especially after it was published in the Daily Nation, a print publication managed by NTV's parent company, Nation Media Group.
"Ambrose Rachier exploded! He called me demanding to know why he was in the papers. I explained to him that we are in the era of multimedia journalism and content acquired is published across all available platforms but he couldn't take any of that. His fury stemmed from the fact that his relatives and friends were now calling him after reading about him.
"The interview had generated a lot of heat that saw both his partner in business and Gor Mahia Football Club issue statements distancing themselves from Rachier. Some fake images were circulated claiming the lawyer had been involved in a road accident. The lawyer was fit and safe," Khaemba stated, adding that some fake news propagators resorted to misinforming the public and maligning Rachier's name.
According to the journalist, he lacked sleep for the next few days over an interview he had chased for over for years. Khaemba also conducted the interview a few days after joining NTV.
"Some colleagues would avoid giving me a handshake as they cracked jokes, especially from the memes. It was baptism by fire as I settled in," Khaemba recalled.
In the interview, Rachier dispelled reports that Freemason is a dark cult with unlawful doctrines which assist members in acquiring wealth. He added that one can join the secret society upon recommendation by a member.
