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The death of journalist Silas Apollo has cast a somber shadow over Kenya’s media industry, not only because of the tragedy itself but also because of the growing number of similar incidents involving media practitioners.
An autopsy conducted at the City Mortuary has confirmed that Apollo, who was working with The Nairobi Law Monthly at the time of his death, succumbed to blunt force trauma to the head and two broken ribs, resulting in massive internal bleeding.
He had been struck by a speeding motorcycle along Kiambu Road on the evening of Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
The 34-year-old journalist, a graduate of Masinde Muliro University, was heading home when the accident happened.
What has unsettled many even further is the series of procedural gaps that followed the accident. Initially recorded as an unknown person, Apollo’s body lay unidentified at the City Mortuary for two days.
It was only on Saturday, April 12, that his family learned of his death when a relative called his phone and an officer at Kiambu Police Station answered.
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Apollo reportedly had no identification documents on him at the time of the accident, contributing to the delay in notifying next of kin.
He was first rushed to St. Teresa’s Hospital before being transferred to Kiambu Level 6 Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
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Conflicting details and ongoing investigation
While police reports point to a motorcycle accident on Kiambu Road, there were initial conflicting claims about a separate incident on Valley Road.
The uncertainty deepened when a driver in Kilimani reported hitting a dog the same night. Upon further investigation, he was detained as a possible suspect linked to Apollo’s death, raising more questions than answers.
As of now, police are holding Apollo’s mobile phone in Kiambu and have launched a manhunt for the unidentified motorcyclist. A survivor of the Dusit D2 terror attack
Tragically, this was not the first brush with death for Apollo. In 2019, he survived the Dusit D2 terror attack by hiding for 12 harrowing hours in a toilet with his cameraman, Dickson Onyango.
He had gone to Riverside to interview a member of the Commission for Revenue Allocation (CRA) when gunmen opened fire. That near-death experience reshaped his outlook on life and reporting.
Apollo’s death adds to the latest in a string of journalists who have died in 2025. In just the first four months of the year, the media industry has lost:
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Nick Mudimba – CGTN journalist who collapsed at his home on March 23.
Fredrick Parsayo – KBC journalist found dead in Kinoo on March 21.
Fofona Bangali – Former radio presenter found dead in Kisumu on March 28.
Rasna Warah – Prolific columnist who succumbed to cancer on January 11.
Leonard Mambo Mbotela – Veteran broadcaster who died while receiving treatment on February 7.