I did not date Kanda Bongo Man -Catherine Kasavuli

Guards at the posh and highly guarded Fairview Hotel along Bishop Road beamed when this writer mentioned the name of Catherine Kasavuli, the 'Queen of Kenyan Television'. Despite her absence on air, Kenyans are still charmed by undoubtedly their first woman media celebrity.

The silky voiced beauty who wowed and charmed viewers for decades breezed into the hotel slightly late and apologized profusely. Clad in a cream skirt suit, matching fascinator and gold coloured slip-on heels, her infectious smile complemented her well-done make up and bright red nail polish.

Many things are said about those in the media, especially television. Catherine Kasavuli's happen to be the yarn from rumour mills linking her to the then 'King of Kwasa Kwasa,' Kanda Bongo Man in the early 1990s. Catherine was even mentioned in a scandal that led to the musician being deported and banned from Kenya in the middle of a widely publicised tour.

For the first time in decades, Catherine exclusively told The Nairobian details of what happened and how the rumour began. For starters, she denied ever having even  met the musician at the time they surfaced.

"A senior politician's daughter was wedding and they invited Kanda Bongo Man to perform. Unfortunately, Kanda Bongo Man's visa had expired. I was reading news when he was getting kicked out and I have no clue how my name ended up there," said the anchor adding that, "It is the price I had to pay for being in the limelight."

She is however glad that a minister of Information who was hosting Kanda Bongo Man organised for her first meeting with the artiste.

"We went to the airport (with the Minister) where I met the musician for the first time in 2012 when he made his first comeback," Catherine said adding that, "Kanda sympathised with me for what I went through because of him and I felt sorry for the Kenyan fans he had lost."

That would not be the last of scandals to follow the celebrated media personality.

"(When was this?) Within three weeks, two men I had never set my eyes on, wrote to Standard Group CEO David Davis accusing KTN of rustrating 'their wife' by keeping her in the office to read news until midnight. They said they did not marry me for all the men to see me. My bosses were very worried for me and even beefed up my security," Kasavuli says.

One of her 'stalkers' was allegedly a very senior learned person and the other had just flown into the country.

"I did not know any of them. In fact, I was living with my partner then," she recalls.

When Catherine approached one of them admitted that he 'fancied' her. They were called for questioning by the police and the matter settled. One of them, Kasavuli says, was mentally unstable.