Veteran journalist Mohamed Hassan has retired from Kenya News Agency (KNA) after an illustrious 38 years in the public service.
Mohamed officially retired from KNA on May 8, 2026, after attaining the mandatory age of 60, as head of the Mombasa information office, ending an era of close to four decades.
The veteran media professional who started his journalism career in 1988 holds a Master of Arts in Journalism, Media, and Communications from Cardiff University.
He had an illustrious career at the information department marked by decades of dedicated service, where he rose from being a reporter to administrative leadership roles.
He has mentored generations of journalists and has been a constant source of inspiration to colleagues.
Colleagues described him as a passionate, accommodating, and impactful person who has helped many interns hone their skills to perform professionally in a competitive media landscape.
A committee of friends, colleagues, and media practitioners in Mombasa organised a retirement farewell party for the veteran journalist during which he was described as a focused person with deep professionalism whose commitment to work endeared him to people that came in contact with him.
Chairman of the farewell committee Citizen TV journalist Francis Mtalaki described him as a special and talented person whose commitment endeared him to people.
Shamim Musa described Mohamed as a great mentor whose kindness and gentle personality provided an enabling environment for journalists to prosper.
“You have motivated, inspired, trained, and professionally guided many of us in the field of journalism,” she said.
The farewell ceremony, under the auspices of friends of Mohamed, attracted dignitaries including prominent Mombasa businessman Abubakar Joho, Mombasa Deputy Governor Francis Thoya, Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki, Jomvu MP Badi Twalib, and Mombasa County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Blue Economy, Cooperatives, and Agriculture Ibrahim Khamis Babangida.
Deputy Governor Thoya has commended the retiring KNA officer for his dedicated service to the nation.
Thoya urged journalists to always uphold professional ethics in the discharge of their duties as they serve the nation.
He appealed to young journalists to emulate virtues left behind by their retiring colleague.
Businessman Joho urged Mohamed to use his retirement time to build upon his solid achievements and called on serving journalists to be committed to their duties as exemplified by Mohamed.
Joho urged emerging and practicing journalists to emulate Mohamed by prioritizing professionalism, integrity, and patriotism.
“Journalists should emulate Mohamed’s selflessness, work ethic, and commitment to journalism,” he said.
Senator Faki has described Mohamed as a versatile journalist whose integrity has enabled him to serve the media industry that long.
The senator has appealed to young journalists to emulate virtues left behind by Mohamed.
MP Twalib urged journalists to always uphold professional integrity and ethics in the discharge of their duties as they serve the nation.
Veteran NTV cameraman Karim Rajan said Mohamed was known for his steadfast commitment to excellence and professional integrity and leaves behind an enduring legacy.
Rajan said Mohamed continues to command respect from colleagues, extolling his uncompromising integrity as a veteran journalist.
Media Council of Kenya (MCK) Coast Regional Coordinator Maureen Mudi described Mohamed as an ‘institution with vast knowledge in the media industry.’
She said the MCK hopes that Mohamed would be available to guide young journalists in realizing their dreams.
“He is a man with vast experience in the media sector, and we hope to tap into that,” she said, adding that he has distinguished himself as a disciplined media professional.
Maureen said the MCK will always call on him to tap into his experiences and share ideas and see how to move the media industry forward.
Mohamed thanked God for enabling him to retire from active service in good health and expressed his appreciation to his former colleagues for finding him worthy of being celebrated.
He urged young journalists to be disciplined and stay focused to achieve their dreams in the fast-changing and competitive media space.
Mohamed advised the media practitioners to always look out and prioritise the public interest and not partial interest in their coverage.
By Hussein Abdullahi
