Ten years ago, while still working in the newsroom, journalist Victor Wetende received a distress call that would quietly alter the course of a young girl’s life. Vihiga Assistant Director of Communications Victor Wetende, who helped the girl (r), Triza, who is now a doctor (l). Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, the former Head of News at a local media house shared that he learnt about the predicament of the young girl through a boda boda rider who knew him and was touched, he picked up his crew and went to look for the girl. According to the boda rider, Triza had scored an impressive 432 marks in her national examinations; however, poverty had forced her to stay at home for a full year, unable to raise school fees to continue her education “I knew that pupils with such marks often got into good schools very fast, and so I went to talk to her. At the time, they lived in Syokimau in a tiny house, and her mother was a tailor working hard to make ends meet,” he said. Call that changed Triza’s life Moved by the injustice of a brilliant mind being stalled by circumstance, Wetende covered the story, and the report struck a chord. “Soon after it aired, a good Samaritan who had always preferred to stay anonymous stepped forward and offered Triza a full scholarship to State House Girls High School, reopening doors that had seemed firmly shut,” said Wetende.
For Triza, it was more than financial help; it was the restoration of a dream she feared had slipped away. Unlike some people who get help and disappear into thin air, Triza and her mother have kept contact with Wetende over the years. “She would call and update me about how she was doing, and her mother also used to reach out with the progress that her daughter was making at school,” said the County government of Vihufa executive. “At one time, her mother invited me to a prize-giving day at the State House Girls’ High School, and I was so proud of her when she was awarded as the top student in her class,” he said, adding that over the years, the girl and her mother have been very appreciative of her efforts. Triza is now a doctor A decade later, that dream has come full circle. This Christmas, Wetende received an emotional message from Triza, now a qualified doctor. “Once upon a time a little girl dreamed of being a doctor and today she has rightfully earned the title Daktari,” she wrote. She reflected on how close her ambitions had come to remaining “in the realm of impossibilities” and credited the journalist’s voice and compassion for changing her story.
“To think the dreams would have remained in the realm of impossibilities were it not for a journalist with the passion to change the world through his voice. My gratitude for the encounter is beyond measure,” she said. “This wonderful year marked a milestone of success, and your role in its fruition cannot be forgotten. May favor be upon you for your hand in my testimony. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,” she told her the journalist. Her words were filled with gratitude, faith and a deep appreciation for a moment of intervention that shaped her future. Wetende happy to have helped For Wetende, the message was a powerful reminder of journalism’s quiet, enduring impact beyond headlines and airtime.
“What a good way of ending the year,” he reflected, expressing hope that God would continue using him to touch lives positively. “It is very fulfilling how lives can be changed,” he added. In a season of reflection and goodwill, Triza’s journey stands as a testament to what can happen when a story is told, a community listens, and one act of kindness rewrites a life’s direction. Journalist recalls his show saving a woman Another story revealed that on World Radio Day celebrated on February 13, all over the world, journalist Jimmy Tangree recounted how his show saved a woman who was suffering from abuse. According to Jimmy, he had asked listeners to call in and participate in the show, and one of them shared that her husband was abusing her in a small voice. A cop who was also listening to the show asked for the contact of the lady and went to save her; now she is a happy entrepreneur.
By Susan Mwenesi
