Long serving Information Officer at the Department of Information, Mr. Samuel Njue Munyi has died after a Short illness.
Until his death, the late Munyi was a senior editors at the National Editorial Board of the Kenya News Agency where he was the head of the agency’s website and social media section.
His untimely demise came as a shocker to colleagues and friends as he was in perfect health last Wednesday the 19th when he signed off to attend a burial of a nephew in Nyahururu on Friday.
According to his wife Bernice Wanjiru her husband had neither complained of any health issues before they made the trip but felt weak the morning they were to travel back to Nairobi after spending a night at a Nyahururu hotel.
‘On Saturday morning we joined a colleague Mr. Ngare Njeru to make our trip back to Nairobi when he complained that he was feeling weak, “Naskia nguvu zimeniishia, before we rushed him to Aga Khan Hospital in Nyahururu ‘she said.
Mrs. Munyi said her husband was briefly taken in for medical examination at the facility before his case was referred to Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi for specialized treatment, but unfortunately lost the fight for his life on Sunday morning to what doctors described as aorta dysfunction.
While sending a message of condolence to Munyi’s family, Acting Director of Information Mr. Vitalis Ragul described him as a focused officer who was always ready to go an extra mile in his assignments at the agency where he mentored colleagues and served with diligence and dedication.
Mr. Ragul said the late Munyi offered a pivotal role in the running of the department because of his unmatched wealth of experience in the profession and good institutional memory that he wield over the years in the civil service.
“Munyi had clear a understanding of where the department was coming from, where it was and where it needed to be. He also understood the challenges facing staff at the department including low budgetary allocations, staff shortage and long periods of stagnation for in-post officers but still encouraged officers to do their best with the available resources,” said Mr. Ragul
Describing the departed officer as dependable and trustworthy, the director noted that it would not be possible to replace Munyi at any cost noting he had lost a friend at a personal level, while the department and the Ministry had lost a good officer who was dedicated, loved and valued his work.
Ngare, described Munyi as a good friend who was always positive about life and ready to help when called upon adding he had vast knowledge and could assist in dealing with a wide range of issues.
Cyrilla Barasa, who worked under Munyi said as a website leader, Munyi was strict on accuracy and never shied from pointing out errors. He went out of his way to call officers to clarify issues and ensuring they did exactly as instructed. To this end, he was fond of quoting a statement commonly used among the disciplined forces that “amri ni kubwa kuliko anayeitoa” meaning the instructions had to be followed.
Victor Obure who worked with the departed officer at the website said Munyi was an ideal team player and role model to the other members of staff majority of whom sought his guidance on both professional and personal matters because he always gave them his ears in times of need.
Obure says Munyi was a gentleman per excellence, always well dressed, well mannered, time conscious and always left friends in social gatherings in stitches with his proverbial Swahili quotes like ‘ aliyekunyima ndiye aliyenipa’ which will linger for years in memories of those he shared with.
Munyi’s death came as a shocker to the staff of the Ministry Of ICT as the department’s whatsapp walls went abuzz with grief and positive accolades to the departed officer, describing him as humble, amiable and patient and an officer who was totally committed to work and always ready to help.
Alice Gworo, an Information officer described the late Munyi as a father figure who was kind hearted and patiently guided young officers until they learnt the ropes in both reporting and operations within public service.
Maurice Aluda, another officer said Munyi generously shared his vast knowledge with his juniors, describing him as very knowledgeable in a wide range of subjects.
Dr. Boniface Muoka, a Communication’s lecturer at Kenyatta University who started off as an information officer and worked under Munyi said the deceased oozed of wisdom and had something new to say every time they met even outside routine office environment
Munyi joined the civil service in 1994 at the then Ministry of Home affairs where he worked for about 10 years. He then joined the Ministry of information before being deployed at the Vice Presidential Press Unit where he worked under former Vice Presidents Moody Awori and Kalonzo Musyoka after which he returned to the Ministry of Information where he worked until his untimely death.
He leaves behind his wife and two sons
By Esther Ngatia
