Catherine Kasavuli, Kenya’s first female news anchor, has been diagnosed with cervical cancer.
KBC Managing Director Samuel Maina announced the news in a message and urged well-wishers to donate blood.
“Dear friends, colleagues and well-wishers. Our dear colleague Catherine Kasavuli is hospitalized at the KNH Private Wing after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. For those who can, she needs a blood transfusion urgently. Your prayers and moral support will be very welcome,” reads a message from Maina.
She is a universal recipient, and any blood type will suffice.
Kasavuli triumphantly returned to Kenyan screens at the end of July 2021, eight years after leaving the spotlight to focus on business matters.
She signed a deal with Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), where she currently hosts weekend news.
Kasavuli began her career as a radio continuity announcer at the Voice of Kenya, later renamed KBC, in 1980.
Kasavuli would later transition to television at the company in 1985. Kasavuli enrolled in the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication after working for two years without any prior professional training.
In March 1990, Catherine became a member of the founding group of KTN, the nation’s first privately owned television station. She was the first anchor to broadcast live and changed the station’s pre-recorded format.
Kasavuli left KTN in 2007 after 17 years to work for Royal Media Services’ Citizen TV, where she later held the position of corporate affairs manager. Kasavuli left the spotlight in 2015 to work behind the scenes.
