By Nyang’au Araka
Veteran journalist Anderson Kalu died on Sunday two days before his 77th birthday.
His younger brother, Lolani Kalu, who is a journalist and thespian remembered him as a guide whose influence shaped his life and career.
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Lolani said Anderson was not just a sibling but also a mentor who helped shape his childhood and introduced him to the world of journalism.
In a moving tribute, Lolani recalls the moments that defined their relationship, from his first day at kindergarten in 1971 to a visit to the Voice of Kenya (VOK) in 1985 that gave him an early glimpse into the work of a news journalist.
Lolani remembers Anderson as the brother who took responsibility for his younger sibling’s education and safety, beginning when he enrolled him in kindergarten.
As a young child, Lolani would ask his elder brother to wait outside the classroom until lessons were over so they could return home together.
“He always made sure his child returned home safely,” Lolani recalls, reflecting on the care Anderson showed him during those early years.
Fourteen years later, Anderson introduced his younger brother to another world when he took him to VOK, then Kenya’s national broadcaster.
Anderson was working on the news when he instructed Lolani to remain there and watch him write.
“Stay there, don’t go anywhere. Watch me as I write the news,” Anderson told him.
For Anderson, it may have been an ordinary day at work, but for Lolani, the visit became a formative experience, offering him an opportunity to observe the work of a journalist and begin understanding the world through the news.
Looking back, Lolani sees a connection between those two moments: the elder brother who first took him to school and the same person who later opened a window into the world of journalism.
“I never imagined that one day I would be forced to write these words of farewell to you,” he says in the tribute.
Instead of preparing birthday wishes for his brother, Lolani is now praying for his eternal rest.
“Thank you for taking me to school. Thank you for taking me to VOK. Thank you for being my brother, my guide, and a part of the history of my life,” he writes.
For Lolani, death may have ended their time together, but it has not erased the influence of a brother whose actions helped shape his journey.
“Death has separated us, but it cannot erase what you did for me or the memories I carry from you,” he says.
Lolani remembers his brother as a protector, a teacher and a guide whose impact will remain part of his life’s story.
“Rest in peace, my big brother, Anderson Kalu,” he writes, adding that his brother’s memory will continue to live on.
