At 60, man won’t abandon his dream to be TV anchor
By KNA, January 11, 2022As the late Michael Kijana Wamalwa once said, “Life begins at 40”, so is the lifestyle of Solomon Ogisore, alias Papa Ching’encho, the oldest and optimistic First Year Broadcast Journalism student at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.
Ogisore’s life seems to have begun at 60, with a dream of working as a broadcaster in a renowned media house.
Ogisore reveals he was brought up in different hostile backgrounds.
The father of seven says life has never been easy.
He says he has no challenges managing family affairs and mingling and interacting with generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) at his old age.
Born in Kisii Central ward, Kisii county, his parents separated when he was still a child. His mother remarried and he says his stepfather was a real nightmare.
Sterling performance
He says as a child, his stepfather denied him education, tortured and segregated him from step siblings.
“When my mother was away, my father would beat me up for no apparent reasons,” Ogisore says.
Despite being subjected to chores as a houseboy, babysitter, shamba boy and watchman, he never gave up on chasing his dream.
He says irrespective of criticism and castigation from relatives and friends, he went ahead and studied through KBC English Service radio education programmes then enrolled for Class Eight in 1992, at the age of 30, at Nyagesa Primary School in Bomachoge Chache constituency.
He performed exceptionally well in that year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam and secured a place at Moi High School-Gesusu the following year.
His passion for Broadcast journalism pushed him to engage then principal Pennuel Akuma for advice on how to achieve his dream. “I was inspired by Akuma to pursue my passion,” he says.
“I was also motivated to initiate a Journalism club where I became the chairman and was granted an eight-minute broadcast presentation in the parade every Monday and Friday under what was popularly known as Gesusu Broadcasting Corporation editions.”
He adds that his late cousin, Gilbert Mosoti, was aware of his challenging childhood and ambitions and took him to Nairobi after Form Four where he started teaching in various primary and secondary schools, though he had no college education.
“I borrowed a suit and presented myself well in front of the Kiba School manager in Kangemi.
We were about 60 people who had been invited for the interview. Having impressed her, we negotiated on remuneration,” he recalls.
Having learnt French, English and Kiswahili in high school, Ogisore taught in several other institutions in Komarock, Nairobi county.
After Nairobi, Ogisore moved to Kisii town to teach at Nyanchwa College.
His teaching career ended in 2017 after the government directed that only those with a Teachers’ Service Commission number be allowed to teach.
He joined KIMC last year to fulfill his lifetime dream of becoming a broadcast journalist.
“When I worked as a houseboy, I used to watch and listen to broadcast programmes on KBC radio and I was influenced by its presenter, James Onyango Joel, who had a good voice that I could always imitate,” he reminisces.
Lifetime dream
He met his wife, an administrator at TSC in Kajiado South, who sponsors his studies and provides for the family.
Ogisore says his life experience has inspired his children to work hard in school.
One of his children is pursuing master’s degree at South Eastern Kenya University while two are undertaking undergraduate courses at Catholic University of East Africa and Kenyatta University, while others are in secondary and primary schools.
Ogisore says his dream is to be an inspiring presenters in the leagues of Leonard Mambo Mbotela, Abuki Bw’Ongeri, Salim Juma and Stephen Kikumu.
At KIMC he hosts a Rhumba Weekend Edition at the institute’s ECN radio after his talent and voice won him favour from the radio head, John Ndwati, who mentored him.
-KNA