Sun Sets on The ‘Bull of PR’

Cedric Lumuti passed away at the age of 34 while undergoing treatment at the Aga Khan hospital on Tuesday. Soon after his passing, friends took to social media to mourn a man they called the ‘bull of PR’.

His Facebook page was awash with messages of condolence, with everyone praising his warm personality and friendly nature.

His friend and mentor Tom Osanjo had this to say about Cedric:”I watched this guy make baby steps as a journalist and later to become an accomplished writer. As one of the mentors I sat back in glee when he went to the PR field and he acquitted himself well. Of course we always had fond memories of the newsroom we shared at Telposta Towers. And the friendly fights we had as he shouted for AFC Leopards from the rooftops and I unsuccessfully tried to convert him to support Gor Mahia. Rest In Peace Cedric Lumiti Khabuchi.

Whether they loved him or hated him, everyone who knew Cedric agreed that he was ‘a man of the people’, a lover of people and a whiz in PR.

He enjoyed his drink, football and his job, with his support for Manchester United and AFC Leopards being evident to all who knew him.

Despite his diminutive frame, Cedric Lumiti had such a humongous personality that he could light up a room with his mere presence.

STRANGER TO FRIEND WITHIN MINUTES

His friends say that he was the kind of guy who goes from stranger to friend in a matter of minutes.

“Perhaps that is why he fitted so much better in PR than in Journalism,” said close friend Mark Kapchanga.

“Lumiti’s death has caused the PR industry the loss of a great man,” said Kapchanga, who is also a former colleague.

Coming from a humble village beginning, Lumiti attended  Shiamusinjiri Primary, then Musingu High School in Kakamega and then joined the East Africa School of Media Studies where he studied journalism.

He later started working as a cub reporter at the former Kenya Times Newspaper before joining the PR industry.

GROWTH IN HIS LUNGS

Mr Lumiti was taken ill in December last year after he was discovered to have a growth in his lungs.

He was treated for the growth and discharged but was later found to have pneumonia after which he was admitted and treated for about ten days before being discharged.

Lumiti had been in and out of hospital since then before he passed away on Tuesday night at 3am.

Cedric has left behind a young family comprising of a widow and two children.

By Lisa Kamau