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| He was said to not only be his mother's best child but a darling of his village, an icon. |
I am not talking
about Josiah Mwangi. I am talking about John Maina, a Nakuru journalist who
passed on in January this year.
J.M died of chest
related complications. His doctor said he went to seek medication when it was
too late. But some of his close friends feel he died out of neglect. They want
his hospital investigated.
And since we buried
him, these close friends have been pouring out their hearts for this young man
who they described as witty, funny, jovial, all but very hardworking.
They say they miss
him. Others say they still see him in their dreams. Others say his place in
their hearts will never be replaced. They are mourning him so much. So much so
that they have forgotten this world is not our own. And that J.M. went back to
where he belongs.
I never mourned J.M
that much. Not that I didn't know him. Actually I was once his Manager in 2011
or 2012, and I loved the shine of his star that was rising then. So when he
died at the age of 25, I felt some loss.
But I rarely mourn
people for long. When their time comes, they deserve to go so some more people
can come. I will also go. That is life.
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| From dust to dust. Fair thee well, J.M. |
What we can do is
not to mourn people forever, even if they left indelible marks in our lives. The
best thing is to remember them. You get me? Remembrance is the thing.
So then we cannot
keep fanning a tribute page for him. He is dead, he is gone. Yet we can
rekindle his memory in a myriad ways.
If for sure we feel,
and this I direct to my fellow scribes in Nakuru, that J.M. did anything
remarkable to take this profession forward, I suggest we come up with his
memorial.
I suggest that we
come up with an annual journalism excellence award that will be named after
him. Let it be given to young journalists aged 25 and below who show commitment
to their work and especially those who show novelty in covering County issues
well.
And that should tell
those who are still mourning J.M they can keep their tears to themselves. Even
the tribute page on fb has lost its meaning now. It should be shut down.
It's time we stopped
mourning J.M...
