Leonard Mambo Mbotela: How Restaurant Incident Birthed ‘Je, Huu Ni Uungwana?’ Show

In his last interview, the late Leonard Mambo Mbotela revealed that an incident at Panafric Hotel led to the birth of his signature show, ‘Je, Huu ni Ungwana?’

Mbotela recounted that he and his colleagues went to the Panafric Hotel one Saturday to unwind as they welcomed the weekend.

The hotel was well known for its high-class status and was frequently visited by prominent figures.

“We were preparing for the weekend, so we chose to go to Panafric Hotel with my colleagues to have some drinks. It is a very big hotel, and at the time, very important people in the government used to go there,” he said.

On this particular day, the group happened to sit at a table directly behind one occupied by government officials, including the late Attorney General Charles Njonjo and Julius Gikonyo, among others.

As they were seated, one of Mbotela’s friends began shouting and demanding service from the waiters, an action that caught the attention of Charles Njonjo, who turned and looked at the group.

Njonjo’s stare, given that he knew Mbotela, prompted Mbotela to calm his friend down, urging him to be patient and wait for the waiter.

“As we were there, one of my friends started shouting, asking where the waiter was instead of patiently waiting, as is expected. We were supposed to stay there until the waiter came and asked us what we wanted,” he said.

“As he was making a scene, he forgot that prominent people like Charles Njonjo were sitting right in front of us. The moment Njonjo turned to look at us, he was probably wondering who we were. I told my friend to keep quiet because this was a place where important people gathered, and we would be served eventually,” he added.

Mbotela explained that this particular incident, which he considered inappropriate, influenced the show’s choice of name.

“I decided to start the show that very day because I wondered—was it really wise to behave like that?” he said.

Mbotela, passed away at the age of 85 on Friday, February 7, 2025, after gracing the communication arena for more than six decades at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).

President William Ruto and other national leaders mourned Mbotela as a gifted and influential broadcaster, sports commentator, and mentor in the media industry.