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FRANCIS
RAYMOND RAFIKI
VETERAN NEWS REPORTER
A
PERSONAL TRIBUTE BY COAST CULTURAL WRITER FARAJ DUMILA
Coastweek
-- Indigenous
Coast
media fraternity has lost one of
its pioneer journalists - Francis Raymond, popularly
known as 'Rafiki'.
His
death saddened several hundred of his colleagues with
whom he always worked with a strong sense of
co-operation
and in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
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It
was he, together with the late Neta Peal, who
established a bureau for Daily Nation, early in the
60's and ever since he became recognized for his often
outstanding news reporting.
A
Mombasa
colleague fondly recalled how "Francis was
particularly concerned with accuracy and good
English."
He
systematically earned promotions with Nation News
papers - ranging from a junior reporter, senior
reporter to Coast Bureau Chief - succeeding his
colleague Adrian Grimwood, together with the then
commercial manager Shiraz Alibhai.
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Coastweek
--
Francis
Raymond 'Rafiki'. |
He
was later transferred to
Nairobi
where he was a sub-editor - mainly editing news from the Coast as by
then there was a full fledged page for Coast news and feature-lets.
Rafiki
was a reliable, friendly, helpful and extremely hard working newsman.
This
writer is ever grateful for his consistent help he used to offer that
enabled him to continue for several years, during the writer's tenure,
as a regular contributor to both Daily Nation and Taifaleo.
On
his retirement - together with Hon. Joe Hamisi, and sports writer
Abdurahaman Shariff - he established a short lived, fortnightly,
bilingual (English and Kiswahili) periodical for Coast readers.
Two
weeks earlier to his death, Rafiki had lost his beloved wife.
May
Almighty Allah rest their souls in Heaven.
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