My heart has been ripped from my chest - Larry Madowo loses family matriach

Kenya-born CNN international correspondent Larry Madowo has announced the death of his grandmother Francesca Madowo.

In a post on his social media handles, Madowo described his granny as the matriach of his family.

"My grandmother, the family matriarch, our heartbeat, my comedy partner, the dearly loved Francesca Madowo has joined the ancestors.

"I am numb. My heart has been ripped from my chest. Light has gone out of my life. Nind gi kwe, min Omollo," read the post.

BBC Business editor Larry Madowo ece-auto-gen

Madowo had expressed fears about his granny's illness during a feature for CNN about the Covid-19 situation in Kenya.

“Every time I see a call from home, my heart sinks. I always fear that they're ringing to say that my grandmother has died. She has been on a ventilator for four weeks and my anxiety is near breaking point. The dreaded call could come at any time: Covid-19. Again,” he wrote.

I’m in Quarantine for the first time since I started reporting news across America – Larry Madowo Pulse Live Kenya

He expressed disappointment with the limited access to the vaccine that African countries are facing while developed countries had surplus quantities.

The acclaimed journo gave an example of how easy it was for him to be vaccinated in the US while priority groups in Kenya struggled.

According to statistics, more than half of the US population was already inoculated compared to only less than 5% of Kenyans.

CNN correspondent Larry Madowo during his maiden appearance Pulse Live Kenya

“I had just finished filming at a crammed ICU treating critical Covid-19 patients in Uganda's capital of Kampala last month when I learned that my uncle Justus had himself died of the virus across the border in Kenya.

“I was heartbroken and angry. He was not vaccinated because Kenya didn't and still does not have enough shots even for a senior like him,” Larry expressed in the article.