Veteran journalist Lolani Kalu has landed a new job at TV47, a month after a friend highlighted his plight earlier in September.
Lolani will now be TV47’s senior reporter based in Coast Region, bringing special and unique untold stories from the six counties of the region i.e. Mombasa, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Lamu, Kwale and Tana River.
Lolani Kalu will be bringing his vast experience in the media industry to the youngest and fastest-growing TV station in Kenya.
Who is Lolani Kalu?
Lolani was born on 27th May 1965 in Kaloleni, Kilifi County.
The 55-year-old is married to Hadija Suleiman and together are blessed with four children.
Lolani is multi-talented from singing, acting, scripting plays, to everything pertaining to news production. To him, journalism is inborn and he did not go to school to study the field.
Lolani narrates to TV47 Digital how he joined Voice of Kenya (VOK) in 1990, just when it was rebranding to Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
“I was acting and writing scripts for those vintage, local soap operas. One of them was ‘Ushikwapo Shikamana’ and guys at VOK realised my other talent in news production…that is how I joined the national broadcaster,” says Lolani Kalu.
Kalu worked at KBC from 1990 up to September 1999 when Nation Media Group (NMG) was introducing the broadcast department (TV and radio). Before that, NMG only ventured into print.
“Because of my prowess in Swahili language and numerous talents, when Nation Media was introducing electronic media they poached me from KBC. I was one of those pioneer journalists at NTV, and I started many programs in the station,” narrates the ever-jovial Lolani.
Lolani Kalu’s woes
Lolani Kalu’s woes started in December 2017 after taking a forced retirement at NTV.
Lolani moved back to his native in Kaloleni with an intention of putting up a retirement home. He approached a contractor, who happens to be his friend, to construct the house.
Lolani, who clearly says he does not like talking about the story, says he was duped more than Sh1.5 million because he trusted his friend. There was no documentation for the whole process and that is why he could not seek legal redress.
Because of that, he resorted to living in rental houses.
Because he had no diploma or degree certificate in journalism, Lolani says he was not paid a hefty salary at NTV, as people would imagine. That is why upon his retirement, he did not have huge benefit.
