Former West Media journalist Dennis Omondi Musundi was finally laid to rest on Saturday. The burial which took place in Mundasi village, Butula in Busia County brought together hundreds of mourners, who represented different professional backgrounds and family members. The late Dennis, ‘Denno’ as he was commonly known, succumbed to blood cancer on 27th July at the Kenyatta National Hospital, and this after a hard fought battle against the menacing disease.
He was eulogized as a monumental pillar in the family, and many remembered his hard work and dedication at the workplace. Family members said he was a strong character in the family, led by his mother and brothers who stood by him throughout the tough moments. The deceased’s brother Gabriel Musundi, outlined the tough journey they went through, from the moment he was diagnosed with acute leukemia to his demise, and the efforts they made in the pursuit of a bone marrow transplant. The deceased’s widow, Nancy Mwanza, noted that she had lost a close friend, and a dedicated father who had developed a close relationship with his first born child, Adeline Musundi, “The day he started feeling uneasy, our child had fever but he still had time for her and asked about her condition,” she noted. She took pride in qualities that made him unique and a loved character.
Members of the fourth estate led by the West Media fraternity and Citizen Radio’s Fred Ng’etich, who was Omondi’s lecturer in college, praised his work ethic and dedication. These qualities set him, apart as a pillar among contemporaries, not only in Nairobi, but outside Nairobi. The Head of Radio, West FM, Nandemu Barasa, said the two embarked on different assignments in various parts and they used to complement each other perfectly, “When we needed to be swift in our dealings, I used to tell him to take advantage of his swiftness in body and gain an advantage. When we were faced with a hard situation that needed a bully-like mentality, he used to tell me to use my body and enable us to force our way through,” said Nandemu.
The directors of West Media, led by Cyprian Wekesa, reiterated that the late Dennis was a top class photojournalist, “He was one of the best photojournalists under the sun,” said Wekesa, who added that at his age, he had accomplished what most people wouldn’t in their careers.
The occasion also provided a chance for mourners to face the pertinent issue of dealing with cancer, with it becoming more of a threat in the nation. As already outlined by many, the scourge is more than a worry at the moment, with many patients flying to other nations to get top class treatment. The national and County governments must put their efforts together to ensure measures are taken to sensitize Kenyans on cancer, or else it will be soon be the unavoidable national disaster.
