President Uhuru Kenyatta has mourned veteran journalist Hilary Boniface Ng’weno as a distinguished Kenyan whose contribution to the growth of the country’s media industry shall be remembered for generations to come.
In his message of comfort and encouragement to family, friends and relatives of the media personality, Kenyatta said Ng’weno was a devoted patriot who despite having many opportunities to work abroad, used his journalistic skills to enlighten Kenyans on the country’s political, social and economic issues.
“Hilary Ng’weno is a Kenyan household name because of his immense journalistic achievements as an editor, publisher, broadcaster and documentary film maker,” the President said, adding that Ng’weno had left behind a rich collection of journalist works.
“His documentary videos on Kenyan history have been a source of information on how our country has grown both politically, socially and economically over the decades. Indeed, his creative works have continued to inspire generations of Kenyans to work hard and achieve the best for our wonderful nation,” the President said.
The Head of State prayed to God to give the family of Ng’weno fortitude and strength to bear the loss of their beloved kin.
Ng’weno leaves behind his wife Fleur Grandjouan Ng’weno, and two daughters Amolo and Bettina Ng’weno.
He is best known for producing documentary videos on Kenyan history, including the The Making of a Nation, Makers of a Nation, Kenya at the Olympics and Kenya’s Darkest Hour.
After graduating from Harvard with a degree in physics, Ng’weno worked as a reporter for the Daily Nation for nine months before his appointment as the newspaper’s first Kenyan editor-in-chief.
He resigned in 1965 and established a successful career as a journalist for more than forty years. In 1973, together with journalist Terry Hirst, he founded Joe, a political satire comic magazine that circulated in many parts of Africa until the late seventies when its publication ceased.
He is best known as the editor-in-chief of the Weekly Review, a weekly newsmagazine than ran from 1975 to 1999. He is also the founder of The Nairobi Times and the first independent TV news station in Kenya, STV.
