Ahmed Dharwesh ‘s death cause and what people are saying
Its about 11pm and my news feed on Facebook just pops up the sad news that KTN Best Kiswahili News Anchor Ahmed Dharwesh has died. I took it as the normal rumors where bloggers are used to kill people on Facebook to get comments and traffic. 2 hours later i get a confirmation that: “KTN Swahili TV Presenter Mr. Ahmed Darwesh has passed away. He was found dead on his sofa set in his house. He has been suffering from diabetes”
The news through the media fraternity into a shock.
Ahmed Dharwesh was my mentor while at KTN. He was very humble and treated every intern with respect. His take was “no human being is greater than the other.” I left KTN a person with better morals because of the likes of Ahmed Dharwesh.
Here is what people are saying about Ahmed Dharwesh ‘s death
Dennis Itumbi: Goodbye buddy. Rest well as you are laid to rest in Mombasa Tuesday morning. Great representative of the profession.
Jamal Gaddafi: Inna Lilahi Wainailehi rajiun. My role model, friend, brother and KTN colleague Ahmed Daruweish passed away minutes Ago RIP BROTHER Alhamdullilah till we meet on the other side.
Larry Madowo: Let me tell you about the Ahmed Darwesh I knew. Daru, as we all called him was a gentleman in every sense of that word. When I joined KTN in April 2008, he was already at the top of his game and down to earth to a fault. Before I had a car, Daru stayed around after anchoring the 7pm Swahili news until I had finished editing my 9pm business story so he could drop me home. We both lived in South B but dropping me outside my doorstep still took him a little out of his way. Keep in mind that he was a boldface named prime time anchor and I was a struggling business reporter so I would ordinarily not even show in his radar. If he travelled, he would let me use his car and even leave it fuelled. That was always an excuse for me to join him and his lovely family for beautiful meals whenever I was ‘passing by.’ Even at work, he paid for too many lunches that I can count, usually at a selection of Swahili restaurants with delicious food I couldn’t yet afford. This picture was taken at Khan el-Khalili Market in Cairo. He had used his many connections and set up a week-long reporting trip to Egypt including a tour of the pyramids and Alexandria. You can still see him in part 1 of my report here https://youtu.be/Vttz2geLdq0?t=2m33s. He was a big brother to me in this big city, helping me create a career on television. Even after I left KTN and moved away, we remained fast friends and it was always a joy to see him whenever our paths crossed. I used to tease him about his signature line: ‘Wakubwa hamjambo, wadogo mmeshindaje. Hii ni KTN Leo chaguo lako, wanakwetu wananiita Ahmed Darwesh’ and he would grin indulgently. Daru was a kind, compassionate and funny man who was a gift to broadcast journalism. I am privileged to have known him. Rest In Peace, my friend. Shukran
Mike Gitonga: Rest in peace Ahmed Darwesh we will miss your jovial self in the news room. SAD!
DJ SADIC: Rest in peace Ahmed Dharwesh… So sad. I pray that God will grant his family peace during this difficult time.
Hon. Ali Hassan Joho: Inna lilahi wainna ilaihi rajiun, it is with deep sadness that I have learnt of the sudden death of my dear friend and brother Ahmed Dharwesh of KTN this evening. I want to pass my heartfelt condolences to his family and pray that they find comfort in Allah… Inna lilahi wainna ilaihi rajiun.
FRED Obachi Machokaa: Kwa Jamii na marafiki wa marehemu Ahmed Dharwesh wa shirika la utangazaji la KTN, Poleni sana. It’s indeed a big blow to lose such a charming and humble person at his prime age. May the good Lord rest his soul in eternal peace.
Silas Gisiora Nyanchwani: I worked with Dharwesh at Standard Group. One thing about a sharing a newsroom with the TV presenters is that you have to deal with their ego or is it insecurities. I used to sit where the TV crew sat and they scarcely if ever said HI to me, or even to the newspaper reporters. Of course newspaper reporters are the bottom of the food chain in newsrooms. And TV presenters, and news anchors are gods in newsrooms.
But Dharwesh was an exception. He always said HI, without any airs, pretensions or rehearsed humility. Often he stood by my desk and we did some banter. He was a huge fan of the Nairobian and for some time he did write a Swahili column for us, something he did with dedication and passion. When people say he was humble, he was truly humble. And down to earth. May Allah receive him and bless his soul.
Naisula Lesuuda: So so sad to learn of the demise of Ahmed Dharwesh, life is indeed a journey. Such a kind and warm soul. From God we all come and to Him we shall surely return. May God grant his family and friends grace during this difficult time. RIP.
Death has robbed one of our best. May you rest in peace Ahmed Dharwesh
Leave a Comment