Hillary Okeyo, a journalist working as a cameraperson for Citizen TV, has become a major talking point online after a video of him attempting to report in Kiswahili went viral across social media platforms.
Okeyo, who was covering the Piny Luo Festival in Migori County, received widespread attention due to his visible difficulties in maintaining a fluent flow in the Swahili language.
An Opportunity Embraced
Okeyo confirmed that his phone has been constantly buzzing with calls, DMs, and text messages since the video began trending.
“So many calls, DMs, text messages. My phone is buzzing every second. I am trending at No 1 because I took up an opportunity of a lifetime,” he said via a Facebook post.
He stressed the significant distinction between his professional role and that of a reporter. Okeyo is professionally a camera person, not a reporter.
He explained that his seniors requested him to take the opportunity to report live, and he embraced the chance. For him, accepting the challenge was an opportunity of a lifetime and a “plus”.
“To those who understand my professional background, I am a camera person, not a reporter. Big distinction.”
The Challenge of Live Swahili
The live reporting was taking place at the Rongo University grounds, where the sixth phase of the Piny Luo Festival was underway. Okeyo was tasked with outlining the scope of the festival, which aims to unite the Luo community from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Congo.
However, Okeyo frequently struggled with repetition and flow. When attempting to locate the setting, he repeated himself, stating: “katika uga wa chuo katika uga wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo ambacho ambacho…”
Describing the preparations, Okeyo again hesitated, noting: “bado bado kuna shida kidogo kidogo kuna shida kidogo kidogo ya sherehe”.
He attempted to correct himself while discussing the event’s history, confusing the phase numbers, saying: “sherehe awamu ya sita samahani ni sherehe ambayo ni sherehe ambayo ni yac awamu ya tano…”
The hesitation and repetition demonstrated his challenges in delivering a smooth broadcast.
Standing by His Decision
Despite the online commentary focusing on his struggles, Okeyo remains happy with the outcome. He asserts that he is trending for the right reasons.
“Do I regret? No. Am I happy? Yes. Trending for the right reasons. Did I embarrass myself? No. I agreed to it, and that’s a plus to me,” he affirmed.
Okeyo insisted that he did not fail and that he approached the opportunity exactly as he thought was right.
“My seniors requested me to try it out, and I embraced the opportunity, and to me, I didn’t fail.”
He posed a final challenge to his critics, noting that his superiors are not complaining, questioning why others feel the need to. For Okeyo, the experience was a success, regardless of the linguistic challenge.
“I did as I thought it would be right. So why are you guys on my neck? My seniors are not complaining. Why are you guys complaining?” he posed.
by moses sagwe
