Four close friends of the late journalist Rita Tinina are preparing to honor her memory by fulfilling a Range Rover Road trip they had planned for her birthday.
Duncan Khaemba, her colleague at Nation Media Group said Rita had planned to take her annual leave on Thursday, March 28 but unfortunately, she will be laid to rest a day before she could take the leave.
Khaemba while eulogizing Rita at Holy Family Basilica, Nairobi stated that Rita’s friends explained her reason for taking the leave.
He noted that the late journalist and her friends had planned to take a trip in a range Rover in April.
Dubbed as “Rita’s Girl Club,” the friends requested the family members to allow them fulfill Rita’s wishes even in her absence.
“Rita’s friends have hired a range rover Hearse, that will be carrying Rita’s body to her final home,” noted Khaemba.
The vehicle will be procured from the morgue and will lead a procession to her home in Narok.
Rita’s group said they met her about 20 years ago and formed a sisterhood bond which over the years blossomed to include their families.
The group was made up of Rita Tinina, Loice Mumo, Dorcus Njeri, Judy Kageni, and Jane Nyaga.
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Friends Eulogizes the Late Rita Tinina
As per their narration, Rita came up with the name strong pillars for the friend group which meant that they should be strong through thicks and thins.
“She later came up with a name Pall Bearers with the notion that when one of us passes on we should bear a burden of riding or walking with them up to their final resting place,” Loice Mumo shared in their tribute.
She noted that it was unfortunate the pall bearer had to be executed anytime soon.
“Rita encouraged openness, increased attentive in despair, denounced drama and shenanigans, strongly condemned pedals of lies. She summed all these to one-word Karagasha,” the tribute further read.
“She always stated boldly that she does not do Karagasha, if she encountered, she would walk away.”
Also Read: Rita Tinina Never Bargained for Salary, Joe Ageyo in Glowing Tribute
Journalists Pay Tribute Rita Tinina
Ken Mijungu the Deputy Broadcaster of KTN News said Rita Tinina has left a legacy that defies mere words.
“She was more than ink on paper; she was the voice of the voiceless and the seeker of hidden stories,” he said.
Linus Kaikai, the Editorial Director and Head of Strategy at Royal Media Service stated that Rita Tinina’s fame, success, and money didn’t distort who she was at the core.
“She was a reliable journalist who always beat deadlines and had strong scripting skills.”
The veteran journalist was found dead in her house located within Kileleshwa estate, Nairobi on Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Family spokesperson Timothy Njaga while speaking to the press on March 19, 2024, revealed the autopsy confirmed that the late Tinina died of severe pneumonia.